The powerful lasers researchers were trying to build had a nasty habit of damaging the machinery being used to generate them. Then a new way to make lasers changed everything.

Lasers can be some of the most delicate tools in a science laboratory, capable of holding tiny microorganisms without killing them.

Two biochemists found ways to use nature’s evolutionary processes to make new proteins. Those methods led to the development of new medicinal treatments, all thanks to something called ‘phage display’.

We’ve been able to harness the power of evolution to create biochemical tools that can build better medicines and cleaner fuels.

We can harness the power of the immune system to successfully prevent some nasty diseases through immunisation—but what about other diseases such as cancer?