Text written in Basque and translated automatically by Elia without any subsequent editing. SEE ORIGINAL

Reflections by Sydney Brenner

1953.urtean When Watson and Crick discovered the structure of the DNA helix, it was working in the next room. We're talking about researcher Sydney Brenner, the father of molecular biology. this 85-year-old South African researcher was awarded the Nobel Prize in Physiology and Medicine in 2002 for his discovery of messenger RNA. He has reflected on biology, genetics and the human being and the environment in front of our cameras.

The human body is made up of millions and millions of cells. An exact count is not possible, but it can be more than 50,000 billion cells. In each of these cells, there are millions and millions of molecules, each with its own mission.

SYDNEY BRENNER: So many molecules interact at the same time... how come they don't cause chaos? Well, nature finds a way to simplify the system. It makes small molecules, forms small units to work together. It doesn't keep track of everything, because that would lead to chaos.

Sydney Brenner discovered one of these molecules that prevent chaos: The messenger RNA. And in 2002, the Swedish Academy recognized the highest merit a scientist can receive: Nobel Prize in Physiology and Medicine.

In addition, although it is not official, it has a potol-fat title: it is said to be the father of molecular biology. And, in recent years, the relationship between genetics and the nature of man is particularly concerned.

SYDNEY BRENNER: For many years we have worked with so-called model organisms (fly, worm, etc.). But I think it's time to work with humans. We can try to understand the human brain; in fact, it has nothing in common. It seems to me that the genome will give us the keys to this. Keys, also, to our health and duration. The human being is unique in animals: it has accelerated their evolution completely. Our genes are 100,000 years old. By the way we're designed, the brain tells us: “eat, eat as much as possible, and turn it into fat.” This is because we have the power to store energy for fear of starvation. It is the result of biological selection. But the environment has changed, and now there is no hunger, but we continue to eat and eat. Therefore, we are not adapted to the environment in which we live now. We should reflect deeply on our relationship with the world we have created.

The fact that men and women have declared themselves the dominant species over the rest of the animals has hindered the study of the human species. The animal nature of man has been ignored for centuries. Even after the birth of genetics, the duality of man (body and soul) has had a great weight. And yet, instincts and concepts of this kind are seen far from the nature and behavior of man.

SYDNEY BRENNER: Biology is not about perfection. There are perfect answers to mathematics. Physicist, the most direct answers possible. But biology only looks for satisfying answers. It's very empirical. Nothing is perfect in that sense. However, it is a formidable intellectual challenge to reveal how all this troublesome biochemistry evolved. This can be done through the genome, I think. We can look back, because the genome contains some fossil-like, molecular fossils. In this way, we can see what comes inside us from very old times.

Genetics has a profound effect on a person’s character. But accepting this can be uncomfortable, because it implies accepting that we are all different from birth. This has been seen as evidence in favour of racism, but it should be the other way around: every human being is unique, but equal to the rest of men and women in terms of rights.

You just have to look around to realize that each person is unique and has innate abilities. Everyone’s lifestyle involves developing some skills or more than others: sport, memory, mathematics, art, speech... The environment and events of life bring an athlete to the elite, but this skill that was inherent from birth, carries it in genes.

Differences between individuals can be an advantage in some cases, an obstacle in others.

SYDNEY BRENNER: What would happen if the biological evolution resumed? Imagine if a catastrophe were to happen now, the team would bet on the little men and women. Because they need less energy, they need less resources. So the big fat ones are over, like dinosaurs. In the case of resumption of biological evolution, smallness is, in many cases, a selective advantage. But he won't start again, of course.

The human being is technological and, with technology, he has mastered the environment, adapting it to his needs. He also needs to know his surroundings. And to satisfy that curiosity, he does science. It focuses on observation, research, reflection. Technological advances have been expanding as markets have grown, and the data collected has grown exponentially.

SYDNEY BRENNER: Biology has become very complex, we know so much about the details. But we need a concept. People should understand how the cell works, because the cell is the basic unit and not the gene. If we understand how the cell works, we can begin to understand how different cells are specialized for different tasks. But the amount of data is gigantic, which makes it difficult to understand. Some people think that the more data you have, the better: “We’re going to collect more numbers and data, and then one day everything will be clear.” But no, on the contrary, that is not the way.

The sequencing of the human genome has been equated with the arrival of man on the Moon. The technological challenges are comparable if each one is located in its own field and time. And they are equal, especially because the main challenge was not to bring man to the Moon, but to bring him back. Likewise, the human genome is already sequenced; this is a lot of data, but the real work is to interpret it.