Enzymes

Imagine you’re in a kitchen trying to bake cookies without an oven. The dough would just sit there forever, refusing to turn into cookies. That’s sort of what life would be like without enzymes — slow, sluggish, and probably nonexistent.

Enzymes are biological catalysts, meaning they speed up chemical reactions inside your body without being used up themselves. Every blink, breath, and heartbeat owes its existence to these little molecular multitaskers. From digesting your breakfast to repairing your DNA, enzymes are always on the job — quietly making the impossible happen millions of times per second.

What makes enzymes so special is their specificity. Each one is designed to fit a particular molecule, like a key fits a lock. That’s why your stomach enzyme pepsin can break down proteins but won’t touch carbohydrates — it’s simply not made for that. This precision keeps the body’s chemistry running smoothly, preventing chaos in your cells.

The study of enzymes goes back to the 19th century, when scientists like Eduard Buchner discovered that yeast extracts could cause fermentation even without living cells. His work proved that enzymes could work independently — a revolutionary idea that earned him a Nobel Prize in 1907. Since then, enzymes have become the backbone of modern biochemistry, medicine, and even industries like food processing and biofuels.