title: The excitement of discovery.
abstract: I had the good luck to start research at the dawn of molecular biology when it was possible to ask fundamental questions about the nature of the nucleic acids and how information is transferred in living systems. The search for answers led me into many different areas, often with the question of how molecular structure leads to biological function. Early work in this period provided some of the roots supporting the current explosive developments in life sciences. Here I give a brief account of my development, describe some contributions, and provide a hint of the exhilaration in discovering new things. Most of all, I had the good fortune to have inspiring teachers, stimulating colleagues, and excellent students.
authors.affiliation: Department of Biology, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, Massachusetts 02139-430, USA.
authors.forename: Alexander
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Rich
mesh_terms: D001671:Biochemistry / Q000266:history; D018360:Crystallography, X-Ray / Q000266:history; D004247:DNA / Q000737:chemistry / Q000266:history; D004739:England; D049673:History, 20th Century; D008958:Models, Molecular; D009690:Nucleic Acid Conformation; D012313:RNA / Q000737:chemistry / Q000266:history; D012106:Research / Q000266:history; D014481:United States
chemical_list: D012313:RNA; D004247:DNA