Biochemistry within the History of Civilization

Fire, earth, air, water.  These are the four elements of every substance that exists theorized Empedocles during the fifth century B.C.  In our day, we know that there are a lot more than four elements on the periodic table, but the story of Empedocles illustrates a point.  His theory would go relatively unchallenged for almost two millennia until other scientists stepped into the ring to test his ideas.  While biochemistry and organic chemistry are new fields, chemistry has deep roots and a tradition of challenging the current theory of what we accept for granted. 

Biochemistry

Biochemistry is a very new scientific field.  Biochemistry branched off of organic chemistry which branched off of chemistry.  Biochemistry involves chemistry within cells and biological organism. 

We want to understand how and why everything happens in an organism so we can beneficially manipulate it.  When I interviewed Dr. Joshua Price, an organic chemist, at Brigham Young University, he stated that biochemistry started with Watson and Crick, the scientist who discovered the double helix structure in the 1950s.  After that monumental discovery, some chemist shifted their focus to nucleic acids, histones and gene coding. 

Organic Chemistry

But the notion that we can recreate biological systems originated from organic chemistry.  Before the 19^th century, chemists believed that there was a special life force property belonging to molecules and atoms that made up living organisms.  They believed that you couldn’t reproduce that life force.

Then came Friedrich Wohler.  In the early 1800s, he synthetically producing urea, proving that we could mix chemicals in a lab and form a molecule that humans, plants and animals use (http://www.famousscientists.org/friedrich-wohler/).  This revolutionized the entire thought process of chemistry and led to the divide between organic and inorganic chemistry.

Ancient Chemistry

However, I should be quick to note that none of these discoveries would have been made without the basis of the Greeks.  The Greeks were the first who attempted to define our world in elements.  We’ve already talked about Empedocles, but there are myriads more.  Democritus explained that the world is built up of infinitesimally small particles that cannot be divided or destroyed.  He termed this atomos, which was later named “atom”.  Aristotle was the first scientist after Empedocles that actually tried to categorize objects into their respective elements of earth, air, water and fire.  Our efforts to create a Periodic Table of Elements would mirror his.  At the heart of it, chemistry has always been a way to explain what seems mysterious and will always be so.  In one sense, it is the creation story of humanity.