Anita Goel, MD, PhD, is another example of a polymath who is able to combine seemingly disparate disciplines to understand natural phenomena – physics and genetics. Named one of the world’s 35 most promising researchers under the age of 35 by MIT’s Technology Review Magazine, Dr. Goel of Harvard University is studying how DNA polymerase replicates DNA.
“There’s this sense of wonder, with a lot of nature around you,” Goel said. “We understand so much about atoms and molecules, but do we really understand the basic physics of life?”
Dr. Goel likens DNA polymerase to a nanoscale motor that …read more