Putting the pieces together (IMAGE) Institute of Science and Technology Austria Caption Nearly finished with her PhD, Lisa Knaus compares science to a detective novel. Her curiosity-driven mind guided her to spot a promising lead, then to ask the right questions, and finally discover an unknown function of amino acids. Credit ISTA Usage Restrictions - License Original content Disclaimer: AAAS and EurekAlert! are not responsible for the accuracy of news releases posted to EurekAlert! by contributing institutions or for the use of any information through the EurekAlert system.