ABSTRACT
The deterministic approach of Western science is quite old, and has been in practice since well before scientists could actually study molecules in detail. With the emergence of technological advances in the first half of the 20th century, methods for the structural characterization of small molecules and later macromolecules began to appear. However, the first structures of proteins were determined only in the 1960s (see Chapter 2 for details). In contrast to looking through the lenses of a microscope, the determination of protein structures turned out to be a lengthy and quite difficult task. This difficulty led scientists to prioritize the structures to be determined, mostly according to practical considerations, such as medical relevance. As a result, the structure of each protein was determined only after a great deal of experimental data (genetic, biochemical, immunological) had already been collected on its function, tissue localization, binding partners, etc. This approach began to change around the turn of the millennium, with the sequencing of whole animal genomes (including the human genome) and the considerable improvement of structure determination techniques.
