| Protein - what a curious and remarkable entity | | | | assemble amino acids in a particular order and |
| they are! It is an essential nutrient for our bodies | | | | exact order. |
| as it builds muscles and bones and provides us | | | | Beyond comprehension, they self-assemble |
| with energy. But not many people know that | | | | themselves spontaneously and then form |
| proteins are even far more reaching for our | | | | themselves into a specific shape which is required |
| welfare, we eat them yes but they well, also | | | | for the protein to function properly. Even after |
| they are us, that is they are part of our make | | | | achieving these miraculous feats, the protein |
| up. In fact most of our dry body weight is made | | | | needs to reproduce itself. Alas, the poor old |
| up of protein which are vast molecules built from | | | | protein, wrecked after all it's exertions finds itself |
| enormous chains of amino acids. Indeed, protein is | | | | incapable of doing so. Step in old DNA, a maestro |
| a root substance in most living things of which | | | | at replicating, indeed it's only purpose and you |
| there are millions of different types. In the human | | | | have a match made in heaven. The whole |
| body alone there are over one million proteins. | | | | process is maddeningly difficult to get your head |
| Amazingly, all are formed by the bonding of only | | | | around but without it, well we would simply not be |
| twenty amino acids into gigantically long polymer | | | | here. As mentioned earlier, the human body is |
| chains. These combinations are unimaginably | | | | composed largely of protein as are the bodies of |
| enormous, measured in quadrillions which contain | | | | the entire animal world. In addition many animal |
| fifteen zeros! Each of these million proteins is a | | | | products are almost entirely protein such as |
| miracle in itself, to make one you need to | | | | leather and wool. |