🦠 “Proteins: suddenly cool. Not sure I can make you care, but I’ll try anyway.” 🇬🇧

“If the 20th century was the century of physics, the 21st century will be the century of biology.”
— Craig Venter and Daniel Cohen, Fall 2004, Paris

Biology is experiencing an unprecedented surge in both public and scientific interest. From CRISPR/Cas9 gene editing to mRNA vaccines, life sciences are driving some of the most groundbreaking advancements of our time, reshaping medicine, technology, and even our understanding of what it means to be human. And, no surprise, proteins are at the very center of this biological renaissance, running the show when you’re not looking.
Lately, proteins have been everywhere, not just in your meal choices, but in the headlines, too. The Covid-19 spike protein, for example, has become the most recognizable molecular structure in history (second only to DNA). AI is predicting protein structures with such precision that it’s probably better at it than most of us are at folding a fitted sheet. And, yes, Google and OpenAI are throwing money at biology like it’s the next Bitcoin.
But why all the hype? What makes proteins so special? In this talk, we’ll take a step back and unpack the excitement. We’ll start with the basics: what proteins are, why they matter, and why they fold in ways that make even origami look simple. Then, we’ll dive into the big questions: How do we solve the protein-folding problem? What does AI have to do with it? And, most importantly, will understanding this help you impress people at dinner parties? By the end, you’ll see why proteins are so damn cool. And maybe you’ll even feel inspired to fold one yourself.