The Biochemistry of Life
Life is not just chemistry — it is chemistry organized into systems that store information, enforce rules, build structures, and reproduce. This section maps what we know, what we can model, and where major explanatory gaps still remain.
The Three Phases of Biochemical Origins
The origin of life can be framed as three major transitions. Each phase introduces a new level of organization — and a new set of unsolved problems.
Phase 2 — Translation
How one-dimensional code becomes three-dimensional catalytic structure.
Protein SynthesisCore Biochemical Topics
Biochemical Origins
From prebiotic chemistry to the first coded translation systems. The foundational problems behind life’s emergence.
Start HerePhase 2: Protein Synthesis
The translation machinery: ribosome, tRNA, aminoacyl-tRNA synthetases, and the enforcement of the genetic code.
Explore Phase 2The Translation System
Evolution
How chemical systems capable of reproduction and variation begin to evolve under selection.
EvolutionSystems & Constraints
Why biological order cannot be reduced to chemistry alone — and why rule enforcement matters.
Why Phase 2 is HardFrom Code to Structure
The deep puzzle: how abstract information becomes physical function.
Information Bottleneck