IN SIX DAYS

BOB HOSKEN, Biochemistry

Dr Hosken is Senior Lecturer in Food Technology at the University of Newcastle, Australia.
He holds a BSc in Biochemistry from the University of Western Australia, a MSc in
Biochemistry from Monash University, a PhD in Biochemistry from the University of
Newcastle and a MBA from theUniversity of Newcastle. Dr Hosken has published more than
50 research papers in the areas of protein structure and function, food technology and
food product development.

My first year at university was one of the most challenging and exciting times in my life.
Suddenly 1 was no longer a child; I was independent, having to interpret the world for myself,
planning my own future and determining my own life values. I was unsure of what 1 should
study, and my high school peer group disintegrated as some friends chose to study arts, while
others went into law, dentistry or commerce. While 1 had many memorable lectures in first
year, some of which are best forgotten, it was the one lecture on glycolysis and the Krebs cycle
which stood out, opening up to me a whole new world: the marvels of biochemistry and
molecular biology. I found the metabolic steps involved in the synthesis and release of
chemical energy through photosynthesis and oxidative phosphorylation absolutely marvellous.
I could not get enough of it, I had to become a biochemist.

In this subject we also had several lectures on evolutionary biology, and while the concepts
were interesting, they did not excite me intellectually or emotionally. To me unlocking the
secrets of metabolism was like opening the book of life. There had to be a designer for this
system to work, and to me this was not chance, but the hand of God.

After graduating in chemistry and biochemistry, I began my post~ graduate career, focusing on
the biosynthesis, structure and function of proteins. I worked with a team to determine the
amino acid sequences of myoglobin and haemoglobin from a range of Australian marsupials
and monotremes, with the aim of determining the phylogenetic relationships of these unique
animals. Marsupials are pouched animals and include the kangaroos, while the monotremes lay
eggs and include the echidna and the platypus, and it is these features that make the latter so
interesting to the taxonomist. Given that the platypus lays eggs, has a duck like beak, webbed
feet and a furry tail, it is not surprising that some people have viewed it as a missing link in the
evolution of animals.

It was found that the amino acid sequences for myoglobin and haemoglobin from various
species of kangaroo, echidna and platypus were different, and the sequence information could
be used to evaluate the phylogenetic relationships of these animals. This could then
be linked to the radiation of animals associated with continental drift and the evolutionary
record.

While these findings were very interesting, the most exciting thing for me about this work was
the opportunity it provided for relating the molecular architecture of each species of
haemoglobin to the unique physiological requirements of the animal species studied. In other
words, in a study of the relation between the structure and function of haemoglobin in various
marsupial and monotreme species, I found it more meaningful to interpret haemoglobin
structure in relation to the unique physiological demands of each species. A marsupial mouse
has a greater rate of metabolism than a large kangaroo, so small marsupials need a
haemoglobin with a structure designed to deliver oxygen to the tissues more efficiently than
that required in large animals, and 1 found this to be actually the case. 1 also investigated the
relation of haemoglobin structure and oxygen transport in the echidna and platypus, and again
found the oxygen delivery system of the platypus was well suited to diving, while in the
echidna it was suited to burrowing. The bill of the platypus has been found to be equipped with
incredibly sensitive electro receptors, capable of sensing muscular contraction of tiny prey,
including dragonfly or mayfly larvae. This enables the platypus to find food in the murky
waters in which it lives. These kinds of findings indicate to me that each animal is in some way
uniquely designed to suit its particular environment, and 1 cannot help but attribute the
complexity of the design to a Creator, rather than to random evolutionary forces.

The argument of design in nature as an evidence for a Creator is not new. William Paley, in his
Natural Theology in the 1860s, used this kind of general argument. He was, however, not able
to draw on the insights provided by modern molecular biology. While these arguments are in
part based on non scientific paradigms, what's new? Most people, in fact, make their most
important decision in life on non scientific paradigms. Today as we ponder the unique
architecture of the molecular systems that make up life, I am sure that I will not be the last
person to conclude that there must be an architect'.

I have regarded my early research experience in the area of protein structure and function as a
privilege, not only because it provided me with wonderful insights into molecular design and
function, but also because it provided the insights to appreciate the subsequent advances that
were to take place in biochemistry and molecular biology. I could, now appreciate more than
ever the complexity of the molecular control mechanism involved in metabolism and the
immunological defence systems of the body. The one hour lecture in first year university of
glycolysis and the Krebs cycle, which had initiated my interest in biochemistry, could now be
expanded to fill many books, and I cannot possibly conceive how such a system could ever
evolve. There has to be an intelligent Designer, and this is my personal God.