Life on Two Tracks

The second modern synthesis of biology [1] must start with new stratifications and conceptualizations, as well as new ways to connect all of them [2], which are to be perfected through in-depth discussions that may be provoked by seemingly controversial ideas. And new paradigms can thus be built upon the novel thoughts that may eventually converge. As knowledge accumulates based on either newly generated data or frequent visits to old datasets, the new generation of scientists will digest, scrutinize, and cast doubts on the novel thoughts, and all these activities will lead to acceptance or rejection of the new synthesis and its essentials. The knowledge network may either keep growing in multiple dimensions or end temporarily at a single vortex. Trained as a biochemist in college and then a cell biologist early in my scientific career, I only used molecular biology tools to manipulate genes as “parts” and use them to “assemble” certain “operations” and never worried about the genetic background of the cells and animals we used. Some of the tissues (organs) for primary cultures were actually collected from a local slaughter house as byproducts of steaks and sausages and individual samples were often used as a pool. Working on genetics, genomics, and bioinformatics for a couple of decades, I have encountered prob-