Anfinsen (Christiane Nüsslein-Volhard)

Anfinsen, referring to Christiane Nüsslein-Volhard, is often associated with Anfinsen's experiment, a key discovery by biochemist Christian Anfinsen. It showed that a protein’s three-dimensional shape, crucial for its function, is determined by its amino acid sequence. In simple terms, if a protein is unfolded and then given the right conditions, it can spontaneously refold into its correct shape without assistance. This understanding helps explain how proteins work and fold correctly inside cells, which is vital for biological processes and medicines. Nüsslein-Volhard’s work, on the other hand, contributed to developmental biology, studying how genes direct organism development.