Why did Jacques Monod make the choice of mechanistic determinism?

In Memoriam: Jacques Monod (1910–1976)

Jacques Monod, born 100 years ago, was one of the main founders of molecular biology. A quotation of Roger Stanier seems to me of immediate relevance to the topic of this meeting on ‘‘Chance and necessity in evolution,’’ dedicated to the works of Jacques Monod: ‘‘Jacques Monod, one of the great scientists of the twentieth century, will always have an honored place among the leaders of the secon...

Jacques Monod and Ernest Borek Editors of Microbes and Life

Jacques Lucien Monod, 9 February 1910--31 May 1976.

Enzymatic cybernetics: an unpublished work by Jacques Monod.

In 1959, Jacques Monod wrote a manuscript entitled Cybernétique enzymatique [Enzymatic cybernetics]. Never published, this unpublished manuscript presents a synthesis of how Monod interpreted enzymatic adaptation just before the publication of the famous papers of the 1960s on the operon. In addition, Monod offers an example of a philosophy of biology immersed in scientific investigation. Monod...

Why did Nature choose manganese to make oxygen?

This paper discusses the suitability of manganese for its function in catalysing the formation of molecular oxygen from water. Manganese is an abundant element. In terms of its inherent properties, Mn has a particularly rich redox chemistry compared with other d-block elements, with several oxidizing states accessible. The most stable-state Mn2+ behaves like a Group 2 element--it is mobile, wea...