The Catalyst

“Lively and entertaining… In  [The Catalyst], the machinations of RNA emerge as a core feature of what makes us human. We appear to be at the beginning of a conceptual enlightenment in biology—an ‘age of RNA,’ as Mr. Cech calls it. Biology will never be the same.” – Adrian Woolfson - The Wall Street Journal”[An] impressively comprehensive work… [Cech] writes with easy charm and uses analogies helpfully and elegantly” – The Times Literary Supplement“The Catalyst [is] a joy, from a writer who can’t help but be as endearing as he is authoritative.” – Tom Leslie - New Scientist“RNA is arguably the most consequential molecule of them all. A Nobel-prize winning chemist explores its role in life’s origins as well as its medical uses.” – The Economist

Thomas R. Cech is distinguished professor of biochemistry at the University of Colorado Boulder and an investigator of the Howard Hughes Medical Institute. His honors include the Nobel Prize and the National Medal of Science. He lives in Boulder, Colorado.