From the Ribosome to the Spliceosome and Back Again

When invited to contribute to the Reflections series, I pondered what aspects of my career I should focus on. Hoping to lay down a strong narrative arc, I have chosen to link my earliest beginnings with RNA, as a graduate student studying the ribosome, to my later adventures in what hence became known as “the RNA World,” as a tenured professor studying the spliceosome. I believe that some of my most unusual scientific insights have come from this particular path, and it is those examples I have highlighted here.