Even before they finished decoding the human genome, scientists began the next and far more challenging step in explaining the molecular underpinnings of life. It's called proteomics--the cataloging and analysis of every protein in the human body.
Although proteins are the direct result of the instructions coded in our DNA, they are far more variegated and complex than DNA. They have to be. Every chemical reaction essential to life depends in one way or another on their services. Proteins are the beams and rafters of the cell and the glue that binds the body together; they're the hormones that course through...