Daniel Nathans
Encyclopedia
Daniel Nathans was an American microbiologist
.
He was born in Wilmington
, Delaware
, the last of nine children born to Russian Jewish immigrant parents. During the Great Depression
his father lost his small business and was unemployed for a long period of time. Nathans went to public schools and then to the University of Delaware
, where he studied chemistry, philosophy, and literature. He received his M.D. degree from Washington University in St. Louis, Missouri
in 1954. Nathans served as President of Johns Hopkins University
in Baltimore
, Maryland
from 1995 to 1996.
Along with Werner Arber
and Hamilton Smith
, Nathans received the Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine
in 1978 for the discovery of restriction enzymes. He was also awarded with National Medal of Science
in 1993.
In 1999, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine announced the creation of the McKusick-Nathans Institute of Genetic Medicine that was named in his honor posthumously along with Victor McKusick http://www.jhu.edu/~gazette/1999/jan2599/25instit.html. In 2005, the School of Medicine named one of its four colleges after Dr. Nathans.
Microbiologist
A microbiologist is a scientist who works in the field of microbiology. Microbiologists study organisms called microbes. Microbes can take the form of bacteria, viruses, fungi, and protists...
.
He was born in Wilmington
Wilmington, Delaware
Wilmington is the largest city in the state of Delaware, United States, and is located at the confluence of the Christina River and Brandywine Creek, near where the Christina flows into the Delaware River. It is the county seat of New Castle County and one of the major cities in the Delaware Valley...
, Delaware
Delaware
Delaware is a U.S. state located on the Atlantic Coast in the Mid-Atlantic region of the United States. It is bordered to the south and west by Maryland, and to the north by Pennsylvania...
, the last of nine children born to Russian Jewish immigrant parents. During the Great Depression
Great Depression
The Great Depression was a severe worldwide economic depression in the decade preceding World War II. The timing of the Great Depression varied across nations, but in most countries it started in about 1929 and lasted until the late 1930s or early 1940s...
his father lost his small business and was unemployed for a long period of time. Nathans went to public schools and then to the University of Delaware
University of Delaware
The university is organized into seven colleges:* College of Agriculture and Natural Resources* College of Arts and Sciences* Alfred Lerner College of Business and Economics* College of Earth, Ocean and Environment* College of Education and Human Development...
, where he studied chemistry, philosophy, and literature. He received his M.D. degree from Washington University in St. Louis, Missouri
St. Louis, Missouri
St. Louis is an independent city on the eastern border of Missouri, United States. With a population of 319,294, it was the 58th-largest U.S. city at the 2010 U.S. Census. The Greater St...
in 1954. Nathans served as President of Johns Hopkins University
Johns Hopkins University
The Johns Hopkins University, commonly referred to as Johns Hopkins, JHU, or simply Hopkins, is a private research university based in Baltimore, Maryland, United States...
in Baltimore
Baltimore
Baltimore is the largest independent city in the United States and the largest city and cultural center of the US state of Maryland. The city is located in central Maryland along the tidal portion of the Patapsco River, an arm of the Chesapeake Bay. Baltimore is sometimes referred to as Baltimore...
, Maryland
Maryland
Maryland is a U.S. state located in the Mid Atlantic region of the United States, bordering Virginia, West Virginia, and the District of Columbia to its south and west; Pennsylvania to its north; and Delaware to its east...
from 1995 to 1996.
Along with Werner Arber
Werner Arber
Werner Arber is a Swiss microbiologist and geneticist. Along with American researchers Hamilton Smith and Daniel Nathans, Werner Arber shared the 1978 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine for the discovery of restriction endonucleases...
and Hamilton Smith
Hamilton O. Smith
Hamilton Othanel Smith is an American microbiologist and Nobel laureate.Smith was born on August 23, 1931, and graduated from University Laboratory High School of Urbana, Illinois. He attended the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, but in 1950 transferred to the University of California,...
, Nathans received the Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine
Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine
The Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine administered by the Nobel Foundation, is awarded once a year for outstanding discoveries in the field of life science and medicine. It is one of five Nobel Prizes established in 1895 by Swedish chemist Alfred Nobel, the inventor of dynamite, in his will...
in 1978 for the discovery of restriction enzymes. He was also awarded with National Medal of Science
National Medal of Science
The National Medal of Science is an honor bestowed by the President of the United States to individuals in science and engineering who have made important contributions to the advancement of knowledge in the fields of behavioral and social sciences, biology, chemistry, engineering, mathematics and...
in 1993.
In 1999, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine announced the creation of the McKusick-Nathans Institute of Genetic Medicine that was named in his honor posthumously along with Victor McKusick http://www.jhu.edu/~gazette/1999/jan2599/25instit.html. In 2005, the School of Medicine named one of its four colleges after Dr. Nathans.
External links
- Nobel Autobiography
- The Daniel Nathans Papers - Profiles in Science, National Library of Medicine