Molecular Biology Research Introduced
Molecular biology research is a look into life's molecular machinery. This field of study was originated in the 1930s, and the phrase was first used in 1938; but molecular biology research did not really take off until the 60s. Since that time, progress has come by leaps and bounds. Molecular biology research began with x-ray crystallography of biological molecules, and now databases store the molecular makeup of thousands of these very important molecules. Understanding the proteins that are the building blocks of life also helps researchers understand how our bodies work and how to repair them when things go wrong.
Modern molecular biology research began with the discovery of DNA in the 1960s, and subsequent advances in genetics and biochemistry. Molecular biology is one out of three biological sciences; the other two are genetics and biochemistry. The distinctions between the three aren't always clear, but domains are loosely defined. Biochemistry examines the functions that proteins have within the body, molecular biology takes a closer look at the transcription, translation and replication processes, and genetics is the study of how genes are passed on. There are a few things in common between computer science and molecular biology, as genes are a bit like binary code.
A central idea in molecular biology research is that the flow of information within an organism is one-way; genes are transcribed to RNA and that is translated into proteins. On the surface, that is correct, but as in other areas of life, nothing is ever absolute. The flow of information can reverse, as the proteins in the cells can direct which genes are coded into RNA and what RNA is built into proteins. One of the basic tenets of molecular biology is the use of cloning to see which proteins are coded by which genes, and the way the DNA is expressed gives molecular biology researchers insight into its role within the organism.