Frances Arnold Nobel Prize 2018 for her work on directed evolution.

Frances Arnold Nobel Prize 2018 for her work on directed evolution.

• A. George Smoot
• B. Carolyn Bertozzi
• C. Frances Arnold
• D. Fraser Stoddart

Answer: (C)

Directed evolution is a powerful method to optimize enzymes by mimicking natural selection in the laboratory: create a diverse library of enzyme variants, screen for those with improved performance, and iterate mutations and selections to push activity, stability, or selectivity toward a desired goal. Frances Arnold demonstrated and systematized this approach, showing that enzymes could be evolved to catalyze new reactions and operate under different conditions, greatly expanding what biocatalysis can achieve. This transformative work earned her the Nobel Prize in Chemistry in 2018, highlighting how engineering biology can unlock greener, more efficient chemical processes. The other names are renowned scientists in different fields or at different times, but the question centers on Arnold’s contribution to directed evolution.

Directed evolution is a powerful method to optimize enzymes by mimicking natural selection in the laboratory: create a diverse library of enzyme variants, screen for those with improved performance, and iterate mutations and selections to push activity, stability, or selectivity toward a desired goal. Frances Arnold demonstrated and systematized this approach, showing that enzymes could be evolved to catalyze new reactions and operate under different conditions, greatly expanding what biocatalysis can achieve. This transformative work earned her the Nobel Prize in Chemistry in 2018, highlighting how engineering biology can unlock greener, more efficient chemical processes. The other names are renowned scientists in different fields or at different times, but the question centers on Arnold’s contribution to directed evolution.