(a motorcycle in Karachi, Pakistan 2007)Last night was a beautiful night for a bike ride. I was on my way back from a coffee shop, it was pitch dark on the streets and all I could hear subtle hum of my tires rolling over the asphalt. The speed and the disconnect from the world always puts me in a perfect euphoric state. I get so much thinking done on my bike, but I am not alone in enjoying this blissful state of mind while biking; Kary B. Mullis discovered Polymerase chain reaction (PCR) while coasting on the Pacific Coast Highway from San Francisco to Mendocino on a motorcycle.
Dr. Mullis was awarded a Nobel Prize for this discovery and if you have spent any time in a lab you know how important this is in most scientific research. PCR machines amplify small pieces of DNA into millions of copies. Next time you are watching CSI you should thank someone thinking hard on a motorcycle.
