CREATIVITY IN BIOLOGY - A MAJOR CASE AND A MINOR CASE

Sydney Brenner and Francois Jacob's discovery of messenger RNA-which c arries the information for making protein from the DNA to the ribosome s-shows how creativity requires a variety of skills and the ability to integrate a considerable amount of knowledge. Most important was the correct formulation of the problem. Nor only did the discovery require a theoretical understanding, but also considerable experimental skill s. It provides an example of sudden illumination. The concept of posit ional information in relation to the development of pattern during emb ryonic development is another example of a change in paradigm in cell biology from metabolism to information. it was based on the aesthetic conviction that there must be general mechanisms for converting geneti c information into spatial pattern.