What is Life? - With Paul Nurse

Living things are extraordinary and our quest to define life is one of the most fundamental questions in biology.
Subscribe for regular science videos: http://bit.ly/RiSubscRibe

Watch the Q&A: https://youtu.be/mmebQGrDtvY

Sir Paul Nurse is a geneticist and cell biologist whose discoveries have helped to explain how the cell controls its cycle of growth and division. Working in fission yeast, he showed that the cdc2 gene encodes a protein kinase, which ensures the cell is ready to copy its DNA and divide. Paul’s findings have broader significance since errors in cell growth and division may lead to cancer and other serious diseases. He was awarded the 2001 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine, alongside Tim Hunt and Leland H. Hartwell.

This Discourse was filmed in the Ri on 25 October 2019.

---
A very special thank you to our Patreon supporters who help make these videos happen, especially:
Andrew McGhee, Anna-Chiara Bellini, Dave Ostler, David Crowner, David Lindo, David Schick, Erik Shepherd, Greg Nagel, Jan Bannister, Joe Godenzi, John C. Vesey, Kellas Lowery, Lasse T. Stendan, Lester Su, Matt Townsend, Osian Gwyn Williams, Paul Brown, Radu Tizu, Rebecca Pan, Robert Hillier, Robert Reinecke and Roger Baker.
---

The Ri is on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/TheRoyalInstitution
and Twitter: http://twitter.com/ri_science
and Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/royalinstitution
and Tumblr: http://ri-science.tumblr.com/
Our editorial policy: http://www.rigb.org/home/editorial-policy
Subscribe for the latest science videos: http://bit.ly/RiNewsletter

Product links on this page may be affiliate links which means it won't cost you any extra but we may earn a small commission if you decide to purchase through the link.