Proteins fold into secondary structures that build up into the tertiary 3D shape of the protein, a race for understanding that was tied to the competition around solving the DNA double helix. In 1952, US Navy officer Grace Hopper invented the A-0 system, the first operational compiler, which let a human-readable programming language be automatically translated into machine code. Between 1952 and 1962, Rita Levi-Montalcini and Stanley Cohen at Washington University in St. Louis discovered nerve growth factor, the first cellular signaling protein identified, work that later won the 1986 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine.
- 01
The hosts link the protein structure race to Cambridge's urgency during the DNA double helix discovery, pointing listeners to a separate James Watson episode for that story.
- 02
Hopper developed the A-0 compiler in Philadelphia.
- 03
The hosts note that nerve growth factor is not the same as HGH, distinguishing it as a cellular signaling molecule rather than a growth hormone.
237 words · auto-generated from the episode video
1:23:13these proteins create these secondary structures which become the tertiary 3D structure of the protein. >> This is the reason why um Cambridge was worried. >> Yeah, exactly. >> During the DNA double helix, which if you want to know more about, check out the James Watson episode where we talk about all of the shenanigans that happened there. >> Great drama, better than Love Island, I promise. 1952 invention of the first computer compiler. >> Yes, this was um US Navy officer Grace Hopper. She invented the first operational computer compiler, the A0 system in um Philadelphia. It's enabling
1:23:54a machine to automatically translate something that is human readable like I can type in in a kind of human language like a programming language let's say and then I can execute it into machine code and and the compiler will make that transition happen very huge obviously for computer science >> we have a lot of enabling layers being built 1952 to 1962 discovery of growth factors and no we're not talking about HGH. No, we're talking about nerve growth factors which are the first cellular signaling proteins to be developed to be discovered by humanity. Um, this was Rita Levy Montalchini and
1:24:37Stanley Cohen. They were at the Washington University in St. Louis. They won the 1986 Nobel Prize in Physiology. Cellular signaling huge, right? How do cells communicate with one another and internally inside?