Dr. Christian Anfinsen published The Basis of Evolution, in 1959. It was partly a basic primer on genetics and evolution for

chemists, and partly a manifesto for the importance of chemistry to molecular biology, genetics, and evolutionary theory. The book was Anfinsen’s statement of belief and motivation, and through it he inspired many younger scientists. Anfinsen summarized what genes are and how they make proteins, and the role that proteins play in almost every facet of life. He then described how proteins can be synthesized in the laboratory so that their function, both chemically and genetically, can be more easily studied.