Terry Yates
Encyclopedia
Terry Lamon Yates was an American
biologist
and academic who is credited with discovering the source of the hantavirus
in the American Southwest in 1993. Yates' specialty as a biologist was the study of rodents and other small mammals.
. He earned his bachelor's degree
from Murray State University
before completing his master's degree
in biology
from Texas A&M
in 1975. He later received his doctorate in biology from Texas Tech University
in 1978.
, Colorado
, New Mexico
and Utah
, began to experience a mysterious illness in the spring of 1993. The then unknown virus
killed 32 people in just a few weeks, and sickened many others. The illness was originally nicknamed "Sin Nombre
," after a New Mexican canyon
where Spanish
settlers massacred Native Americans
during the colonial era.
Terry Yates, a professor
at the University of New Mexico
, joined an interdisciplinary research
team charged with finding the source of the mysterious illness by the National Science Foundation. Yates, along with his research assistant, Robert Parmenter, isolated the source of the illness, which became known as the hantavirus
, by using animal specimens which he had collected throughout the American Southwest. Yates found that the hantavirus was carried by the deer mouse, a species which had a higher than usual population in early 1993 due to unusually wet weather in the region. The discovery of the hantavirus' origin by Yates has helped to save lives and warn residents about the risks of the disease. The virus has killed more than 125 people between 1993 and 2007.
Yates spent the later years of his life studying the connection between wet weather patterns and deer mice populations.
The National Science Foundation
named Yates' discovery of the cause of the hantavirus as one of the top fifty projected funded by the NSF which had the greatest impact on peoples' lives.
for 29 years before his death in 2007. He served as a professor of biology and pathology
, before becoming the UNM's vice president
for research and economic development, a position he held until his death.
Additionally, Yates directed the National Science Foundation's Division of Environmental Biology from 1990 to 1992 and again from 2000 to 2001. In 2006, he was appointed a to the board of directors
on life sciences
of the National Research Council
of the National Academy of Sciences
.
on December 11, 2007, at the University of New Mexico Health Sciences Center in Albuquerque, New Mexico
, at the age of 57. He lived in Placitas, New Mexico
.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
biologist
Biologist
A biologist is a scientist devoted to and producing results in biology through the study of life. Typically biologists study organisms and their relationship to their environment. Biologists involved in basic research attempt to discover underlying mechanisms that govern how organisms work...
and academic who is credited with discovering the source of the hantavirus
Hantavirus
Hantaviruses are negative sense RNA viruses in the Bunyaviridae family. Humans may be infected with hantaviruses through rodent bites, urine, saliva or contact with rodent waste products...
in the American Southwest in 1993. Yates' specialty as a biologist was the study of rodents and other small mammals.
Early life
Terry Yates was born in Mayfield, KentuckyMayfield, Kentucky
As of the census of 2000, there were 10,349 people, 4,358 households, and 2,667 families residing in the city. The population density was 1,549.8 people per square mile . There were 4,907 housing units at an average density of 734.8 per square mile...
. He earned his bachelor's degree
Bachelor's degree
A bachelor's degree is usually an academic degree awarded for an undergraduate course or major that generally lasts for three or four years, but can range anywhere from two to six years depending on the region of the world...
from Murray State University
Murray State University
Murray State University, located in the city of Murray, Kentucky, is a four-year public university with approximately 10,400 students. The school is Kentucky’s only public university to be listed in the U.S.News & World Report regional university top tier for the past 20 consecutive years...
before completing his master's degree
Master's degree
A master's is an academic degree granted to individuals who have undergone study demonstrating a mastery or high-order overview of a specific field of study or area of professional practice...
in biology
Biology
Biology is a natural science concerned with the study of life and living organisms, including their structure, function, growth, origin, evolution, distribution, and taxonomy. Biology is a vast subject containing many subdivisions, topics, and disciplines...
from Texas A&M
Texas A&M University
Texas A&M University is a coeducational public research university located in College Station, Texas . It is the flagship institution of the Texas A&M University System. The sixth-largest university in the United States, A&M's enrollment for Fall 2011 was over 50,000 for the first time in school...
in 1975. He later received his doctorate in biology from Texas Tech University
Texas Tech University
Texas Tech University, often referred to as Texas Tech or TTU, is a public research university in Lubbock, Texas, United States. Established on February 10, 1923, and originally known as Texas Technological College, it is the leading institution of the Texas Tech University System and has the...
in 1978.
Hantavirus
Residents living in the Four Corners region, which encompasses parts of ArizonaArizona
Arizona ; is a state located in the southwestern region of the United States. It is also part of the western United States and the mountain west. The capital and largest city is Phoenix...
, Colorado
Colorado
Colorado is a U.S. state that encompasses much of the Rocky Mountains as well as the northeastern portion of the Colorado Plateau and the western edge of the Great Plains...
, New Mexico
New Mexico
New Mexico is a state located in the southwest and western regions of the United States. New Mexico is also usually considered one of the Mountain States. With a population density of 16 per square mile, New Mexico is the sixth-most sparsely inhabited U.S...
and Utah
Utah
Utah is a state in the Western United States. It was the 45th state to join the Union, on January 4, 1896. Approximately 80% of Utah's 2,763,885 people live along the Wasatch Front, centering on Salt Lake City. This leaves vast expanses of the state nearly uninhabited, making the population the...
, began to experience a mysterious illness in the spring of 1993. The then unknown virus
Virus
A virus is a small infectious agent that can replicate only inside the living cells of organisms. Viruses infect all types of organisms, from animals and plants to bacteria and archaea...
killed 32 people in just a few weeks, and sickened many others. The illness was originally nicknamed "Sin Nombre
Virus sin Nombre
The Sin Nombre virus is the prototypical etiologic agent of hantavirus cardiopulmonary syndrome ....
," after a New Mexican canyon
Canyon
A canyon or gorge is a deep ravine between cliffs often carved from the landscape by a river. Rivers have a natural tendency to reach a baseline elevation, which is the same elevation as the body of water it will eventually drain into. This forms a canyon. Most canyons were formed by a process of...
where Spanish
Spain
Spain , officially the Kingdom of Spain languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Spain's official name is as follows:;;;;;;), is a country and member state of the European Union located in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula...
settlers massacred Native Americans
Native Americans in the United States
Native Americans in the United States are the indigenous peoples in North America within the boundaries of the present-day continental United States, parts of Alaska, and the island state of Hawaii. They are composed of numerous, distinct tribes, states, and ethnic groups, many of which survive as...
during the colonial era.
Terry Yates, a professor
Professor
A professor is a scholarly teacher; the precise meaning of the term varies by country. Literally, professor derives from Latin as a "person who professes" being usually an expert in arts or sciences; a teacher of high rank...
at the University of New Mexico
University of New Mexico
The University of New Mexico at Albuquerque is a public research university located in Albuquerque, New Mexico, in the United States. It is the state's flagship research institution...
, joined an interdisciplinary research
Research
Research can be defined as the scientific search for knowledge, or as any systematic investigation, to establish novel facts, solve new or existing problems, prove new ideas, or develop new theories, usually using a scientific method...
team charged with finding the source of the mysterious illness by the National Science Foundation. Yates, along with his research assistant, Robert Parmenter, isolated the source of the illness, which became known as the hantavirus
Hantavirus
Hantaviruses are negative sense RNA viruses in the Bunyaviridae family. Humans may be infected with hantaviruses through rodent bites, urine, saliva or contact with rodent waste products...
, by using animal specimens which he had collected throughout the American Southwest. Yates found that the hantavirus was carried by the deer mouse, a species which had a higher than usual population in early 1993 due to unusually wet weather in the region. The discovery of the hantavirus' origin by Yates has helped to save lives and warn residents about the risks of the disease. The virus has killed more than 125 people between 1993 and 2007.
Yates spent the later years of his life studying the connection between wet weather patterns and deer mice populations.
The National Science Foundation
National Science Foundation
The National Science Foundation is a United States government agency that supports fundamental research and education in all the non-medical fields of science and engineering. Its medical counterpart is the National Institutes of Health...
named Yates' discovery of the cause of the hantavirus as one of the top fifty projected funded by the NSF which had the greatest impact on peoples' lives.
University of New Mexico
Yates was affiliated with the University of New MexicoUniversity of New Mexico
The University of New Mexico at Albuquerque is a public research university located in Albuquerque, New Mexico, in the United States. It is the state's flagship research institution...
for 29 years before his death in 2007. He served as a professor of biology and pathology
Pathology
Pathology is the precise study and diagnosis of disease. The word pathology is from Ancient Greek , pathos, "feeling, suffering"; and , -logia, "the study of". Pathologization, to pathologize, refers to the process of defining a condition or behavior as pathological, e.g. pathological gambling....
, before becoming the UNM's vice president
Vice president
A vice president is an officer in government or business who is below a president in rank. The name comes from the Latin vice meaning 'in place of'. In some countries, the vice president is called the deputy president...
for research and economic development, a position he held until his death.
Additionally, Yates directed the National Science Foundation's Division of Environmental Biology from 1990 to 1992 and again from 2000 to 2001. In 2006, he was appointed a to the board of directors
Board of directors
A board of directors is a body of elected or appointed members who jointly oversee the activities of a company or organization. Other names include board of governors, board of managers, board of regents, board of trustees, and board of visitors...
on life sciences
Life sciences
The life sciences comprise the fields of science that involve the scientific study of living organisms, like plants, animals, and human beings. While biology remains the centerpiece of the life sciences, technological advances in molecular biology and biotechnology have led to a burgeoning of...
of the National Research Council
United States National Research Council
The National Research Council of the USA is the working arm of the United States National Academies, carrying out most of the studies done in their names.The National Academies include:* National Academy of Sciences...
of the National Academy of Sciences
United States National Academy of Sciences
The National Academy of Sciences is a corporation in the United States whose members serve pro bono as "advisers to the nation on science, engineering, and medicine." As a national academy, new members of the organization are elected annually by current members, based on their distinguished and...
.
Death
Terry Yates died of cancerCancer
Cancer , known medically as a malignant neoplasm, is a large group of different diseases, all involving unregulated cell growth. In cancer, cells divide and grow uncontrollably, forming malignant tumors, and invade nearby parts of the body. The cancer may also spread to more distant parts of the...
on December 11, 2007, at the University of New Mexico Health Sciences Center in Albuquerque, New Mexico
Albuquerque, New Mexico
Albuquerque is the largest city in the state of New Mexico, United States. It is the county seat of Bernalillo County and is situated in the central part of the state, straddling the Rio Grande. The city population was 545,852 as of the 2010 Census and ranks as the 32nd-largest city in the U.S. As...
, at the age of 57. He lived in Placitas, New Mexico
Placitas, New Mexico
Placitas is a census-designated place in Sandoval County, New Mexico, United States. As of the 2000 census, the CDP population was 3,452. It is part of the Albuquerque Metropolitan Statistical Area.-Geography:...
.