The folds of life: exploring origami, proteins and human biology

To understand life, you must understand proteins, the workhorses of the human cell. What a protein does and how it does it, depends on how it folds up after its creation into its final intricate shape and function.

In this episode, Susan talks to Sudha Neelam, a cell biologist who studies the mechanisms of protein synthesis; exploring how misfolded proteins cause diseases and how therapeutics can intervene to correct the damage it causes.

Sudha compares protein folding to origami, the ancient Japanese art of paper folding, which has entertained generations with its beautiful simplicity. Proteins are our own biological origami, folding spontaneously based on a series of codes in the form of amino acids, akin to the crease patterns and folds of origami. Connecting the folds back to her childhood memories, she muses on how paper folding and protein folding are unique in their creativity and similar in their need for precision and perfection.

The Subverse is the podcast of Dark ‘n’ Light, a digital space that chronicles the times we live in and reimagining futures with a focus on science, nature, social justice and culture. Follow us on social media @darknlightzine, or at darknlight.com for episode details and show notes.