François Jacob
A molecular biologist who, with Jacques Monod, discovered the operon model of gene regulation, explaining how genes are turned on and off.
Most quoted
"A theory is a good theory if it satisfies two requirements: It must accurately describe a large class of observations on the basis of a model that contains only a few arbitrary elements, and it must make definite predictions about the results of future observations."
— from Attributed
"Life is a series of natural and spontaneous changes. Don't resist them; that only creates sorrow. Let reality be reality. Let things flow naturally forward in whatever way they like."
— from The Logic of Life: A History of Heredity
"The dream of the biologist is to understand the living world, to grasp its essence, to unravel its secrets. But the living world is not a simple mechanism; it is a history."
— from La logique du vivant, une histoire de l'hérédité, 1970
All quotes by François Jacob (362)
The history of life is a history of accidents and necessities.
The living world is a world of hierarchies and networks.
The scientist's job is to make the invisible visible.
The living world is a world of constant change.
The genome is a book, but a book that writes itself.
Science is a journey, not a destination.
The living world is a world of paradoxes.
The scientist is a child who never grows up.
The living world is a world of emergent properties.
The genome is a language, but a language that is constantly evolving.
Science is a creative act.
The living world is a world of self-organization.
The scientist is a detective, searching for clues in the natural world.
The living world is a world of robustness and fragility.
The genome is a symphony, but a symphony that is constantly being re-orchestrated.
Science is a collective enterprise.
The living world is a world of adaptation and exaptation.
The scientist is a poet, trying to capture the beauty of the universe in words and equations.
The living world is a world of constraints and opportunities.
The genome is a library, but a library that is constantly being rewritten.
Contemporaries of François Jacob
Other Biologys born within 50 years of François Jacob (1920–2013).