Pro: -teins and -tests
I’ve been thinking about protein lately. One of the hottest topics in nutrition, but I’m not here to argue about optimal protein intake today. What has caught my fascination is the nature of connection showcased in proteins, the sheer necessity of which is showcased in their structures. You see, every single living thing on this planet is made of proteins. Protein is a building block of life, and when we talk about life we invariably talk about death.
Many the world over watched the video of a man named George Floyd, transfixed, as he was brutally, coldly asphyxiated; watched his transition from life to death. There has since been a visceral, global response, at times feeling like this wave of mutual aid and joyous rebellion came out of thin air, but might I remind you of the humble protein.
Proteins are made of molecules called amino acids. Human DNA codes for 21 different amino acids. It’s one of the things all of us hold in common. Amino acids can be broken down in a few different ways. One way is to categorize them as essential or non-essential. Those words, essential and non-essential, may sound familiar right now, as recent months seem to have been a roller coaster ride in which people (delivery drivers, grocery clerks, medical providers), objects (toilet paper, masks, gym memberships) are deemed to be one or the other. To put it in perspective, without a sufficient amount of essential amino acids the human body will break down – their function defines their essentiality.
“Essential” in the context of 2020 is not so easy to determine. Workers at various jobs have been deemed essential, and while they received fanfare in the media their remuneration does not reflect that vaunted status of “essential.” In truth, these workers are in many ways non-essential. It is more accurate to say their jobs are essential to them, because to be without income in a capitalist society is to be without basic necessities - essentials as it were. It is worth noting that the people who pay those workers – we call them capitalists in our economic system- are at home, sheltering in place, waiting out the storm. In a way, the most auspicious display of non-essentiality one might see.
There is a third group of people for whom the designation of non-essential is less comforting. This group is made of people who are either unable to work from home, or whose industries have been obliterated by the scourge of an unseen virus; a virus lying in wait to use attach its own protein coating to human cells and copy itself, wreaking havoc in the process.
In the isolation caused by the novel coronavirus, people began to forge new connections. If one were to look at humanity as a protein, one could say we were denaturing. In proteins, and outside stimulus (heat, ph), will fundamentally change the shape and function of the protein. Our outside stimulus, the novel coronavirus fundamentally changed the shape and function of humanity. The physical distancing recommended by public health authorities the world over served to strengthen our social bonds and our belief in the social contract. Individuals began wearing masks out of concern for spreading the disease to others as much as to protect themselves.
At the same time, something sinister was happening. People across the world watched as a Black woman named Breonna Taylor was murdered by 3 police officers in her sleep. A second denaturing force emerged - racism. This denaturing humanity, bound together by social connection began to spread the whispers, “Is it really this bad? Is this how it’s always been?” And just like that, the protein of humanity began folding its way into the next stage of its conformational structure.
Essential amino acids have functions beyond their role as structural units in proteins. Take leucine as an example, a sufficient amount of leucine stimulates an anabolic reaction in MTORC1 protein stimulating muscle protein synthesis. Grassroots organizing is reminiscent of this biochemical pathway. If enough people make their voices heard, and if their voices stimulate the masses, a few people might turn into a demonstration, might turn into a protest, might turn into a revolution.
Revolution is an interesting word, signaling a change, a paradigm shift. This is similar to the way proteins from food are digested and hydrolyzed into individual amino acids and rebuilt as new, different proteins. Revolution may look like parents educating their children on the differences in policing faced by people of different skin tones. Revolution may look like starting a mutual aid center that provides food and essential living supplies to those who need them. Revolution may look like fundamentally questioning the established political order, overthrowing it and rebuilding a new one.
One thing though is for sure, the old protein is denaturing, and cannot go back to its formal conformational structure. It may not have reached its final shape, but every breathing human can play a role in it’s shaping for better or for worse. Rest in power George Floyd, Breonna Taylor, Ahmaud Arbery and so, so, so many others. May your pain and loss stoke the fires that will bake the bricks to build a new, more equitable house for all of humanity.
Many thanks to Alex Ulloa for his help editing this thing