Sixty years ago, or sixty-one to be precise, Emile Zuckerkandl, Richard T. Jones and Linus Pauling published a paper comparing patterns of hemoglobin tryptic peptides from different species. Ben Neely and I recently revisited this paper, and some of the literature following on this work, retracing the history of molecular phylogenetics and proteomics in very broad strokes.

It may have been the former professional ice hockey player and philanthropist Mats Sundin who in an interview first opened my eyes to the many analogies between professional sports and academic research, including of course the competitive personalities of elite athletes and researchers. There are also - unfortunately - many parallels between cheating in sports and scientific research. However, this is also where the stories diverge.

Would cutting the meter in half double your height? Would stretching the second make you faster than Usain Bolt? If you ask marketing people, the answer is yes.

This is my first post on this blog, a blog which will cover any topic of science, history of science or research integrity I find interesting.