Page 114 - Consciousness in the Cell

CONSCIOUSNESS IN THE CELL

WERE IT NOT FOR ENZYMES, IT WOULD TAKE

YOU 40,000 YEARS TO READ THIS!

Enzymes are protein molecules that make life possible, pro-
moting the necessary chemical reactions for life by boosting them
up to just the right speed.
10
One enzyme can speed up a reaction by a factor of 10 —that is,
ten billion times faster. If this speeding-up didn't occur, then the
five-seconds it takes to read this sentence might take 1,500 years!
During this time, so many other unwanted chemical reactions
could also take place that life wouldn't just be slowed down; it
would become impossible.
Another important feature of enzymes is their selectivity.
While they speed up the desired reactions, they don't speed any
undesired ones. But how do these enzymes know which reactions
need to be hastened and
which do not? To do this,

MOLECULE they must be aware of all of
the reactions and functions
taking place in the body,
and what is needed when.
Moreover, each enzyme
can speed only chemical
reactions in which certain
molecules take place. An
enzyme can bind only onto
the specific site on a partic-
ular molecule. For this rea-

ENZYME
The diagram at left shows an
enzyme about to bind to a
molecule

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