Let's make this birthday one to remember.

77 years old (Born on December 08, 1947)

Happy birthday to the brilliant Thomas Cech—the chemist who didn't just crack codes in RNA but also inadvertently stumbled upon some clues about how life itself might have begun! Your monumental work on catalytic RNA had everyone rethinking life's origin stories; talk about giving scientists existential crises for decades.

From prestigious elections—like your induction into both the United States National Academy of Sciences (1987) and American Academy of Arts and Sciences (1988)—to guiding lights at Howard Hughes Medical Institute, you've masterfully mixed research with leadership. May this year catalyze even more great discoveries—or at least another hilarious pun-filled chemistry joke or two!