Renowned chemist Frances Arnold has made important advances in the field of biochemistry. The intricate world of living cells and their capacity to operate in ways we still hardly understand are among her most important revelations.

Imagine a busy city where thousands of workers work together to construct new roads, homes, and even to fend off diseases or viruses. On a much more complex scale, this is comparable to what occurs within a single cell in our body. Proteins are the "workers" in this cellular city; they are microscopic molecular machines that perform a myriad of vital functions.

The enormous complexity of these protein workers and their interactions within cells is highlighted in Arnold's quote. Scientists like Arnold agree that much more needs to be discovered about the roles and interactions of proteins inside cells, just as we may not fully comprehend how all the various jobs in a city work together to keep it running smoothly. This involves knowing how they reproduce or how they metabolize drugs, such as those used to treat malaria.

In order to engineer proteins with particular functions, Arnold's work focuses on using directed evolution techniques to harness this complexity. In addition to expanding our knowledge of biology, her discoveries have created new opportunities for the creation of more potent medications and technological advancements.

Arnold's statement essentially captures the great unknowns in biological science, highlighting the fact that despite our tremendous advancements in the study of cells, much more work remains before we can completely understand their inner workings.