Alfred Hershey
Encyclopedia
Alfred Day Hershey was an American Nobel Prize
-winning bacteriologist and geneticist
.
He was born in Owosso, Michigan
and received his B.S. in chemistry at Michigan State University
in 1930 and his Ph.D. in bacteriology
in 1934, taking a position shortly thereafter at the Department of Bacteriology at Washington University in St. Louis
.
He began performing experiments with bacteriophages with Italian-American Salvador Luria and German Max Delbrück
in 1940, and observed that when two different strains of bacteriophage have infected the same bacteria, the two viruses may exchange genetic information.
He moved with his wife Martha to Cold Spring Harbor, New York
, in 1950 to join the Carnegie Institution of Washington's Department of Genetics, where he performed the famous Hershey-Chase blender experiment
with Martha Chase
in 1952. This experiment provided additional evidence that DNA, not protein, was the genetic material.
He became director of the Carnegie Institution in 1962 and was awarded the Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine
in 1969, shared with Luria
and Delbrück
for their discovery on the replication of viruses and their genetic structure.
Hershey had 1 child with his wife Harriet (often called Jill), a son named Peter. The family was active in the social network of Cold Spring Harbor Laboratories and regularly enjoyed the beach in season.
After Hershey died , another phage worker, Frank Stahl, wrote: "The Phage Church, as we were sometimes called, was led by the Trinity of Delbrück, Luria, and Hershey. Delbrück's status as founder and his ex cathedra manner made him the pope, of course, and Luria was the hard-working, socially sensitive priest-confessor. And Al (Hershey) was the saint."http://www.nap.edu/readingroom/books/biomems/ahershey.html
Nobel Prize
The Nobel Prizes are annual international awards bestowed by Scandinavian committees in recognition of cultural and scientific advances. The will of the Swedish chemist Alfred Nobel, the inventor of dynamite, established the prizes in 1895...
-winning bacteriologist and geneticist
Geneticist
A geneticist is a biologist who studies genetics, the science of genes, heredity, and variation of organisms. A geneticist can be employed as a researcher or lecturer. Some geneticists perform experiments and analyze data to interpret the inheritance of skills. A geneticist is also a Consultant or...
.
He was born in Owosso, Michigan
Owosso, Michigan
Owosso is a city in Shiawassee County in the U.S. state of Michigan. The population was 15,713 at the 2000 census. The city is located on the eastern side of Owosso Township, but is politically independent...
and received his B.S. in chemistry at Michigan State University
Michigan State University
Michigan State University is a public research university in East Lansing, Michigan, USA. Founded in 1855, it was the pioneer land-grant institution and served as a model for future land-grant colleges in the United States under the 1862 Morrill Act.MSU pioneered the studies of packaging,...
in 1930 and his Ph.D. in bacteriology
Bacteriology
Bacteriology is the study of bacteria. This subdivision of microbiology involves the identification, classification, and characterization of bacterial species...
in 1934, taking a position shortly thereafter at the Department of Bacteriology at Washington University in St. Louis
Washington University in St. Louis
Washington University in St. Louis is a private research university located in suburban St. Louis, Missouri. Founded in 1853, and named for George Washington, the university has students and faculty from all fifty U.S. states and more than 110 nations...
.
He began performing experiments with bacteriophages with Italian-American Salvador Luria and German Max Delbrück
Max Delbrück
Max Ludwig Henning Delbrück was a German-American biophysicist and Nobel laureate.-Biography:Delbrück was born in Berlin, German Empire...
in 1940, and observed that when two different strains of bacteriophage have infected the same bacteria, the two viruses may exchange genetic information.
He moved with his wife Martha to Cold Spring Harbor, New York
Cold Spring Harbor, New York
Cold Spring Harbor is a hamlet in Suffolk County, New York on the North Shore of Long Island. As of the United States 2000 Census, the CDP population was 4,975.Cold Spring Harbor is in the Town of Huntington.-History:...
, in 1950 to join the Carnegie Institution of Washington's Department of Genetics, where he performed the famous Hershey-Chase blender experiment
Hershey-Chase experiment
The Hershey–Chase experiments were a series of experiments conducted in 1952 by Alfred Hershey and Martha Chase, which helped to confirm that DNA was the genetic material. While DNA had been known to biologists since 1869, a few scientists still assumed at the time that proteins carried the...
with Martha Chase
Martha Chase
Martha Cowles Chase , also known as Martha C. Epstein, was an American geneticist famously known for being a member of the 1952 team which experimentally showed that DNA rather than protein is the genetic material of life. She was greatly respected as a geneticist. Chase was born in 1927 in...
in 1952. This experiment provided additional evidence that DNA, not protein, was the genetic material.
He became director of the Carnegie Institution in 1962 and was awarded 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 1969, shared with Luria
Luria
Luria is a surname, a variant of Lurie. It may refer to:* Alexander Luria, Russian neuropsychologist* Isaac Luria, a Jewish mystic in Safed* Roger de Luria, Italian Admiral* Salvador Luria, Italian microbiologist* Solomon Luria, an Ashkenazic rabbi...
and Delbrück
Delbrück
Delbrück is a town in the east of North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany, located in the district Paderborn. As of 2002 it has a population of 29,846.-History:...
for their discovery on the replication of viruses and their genetic structure.
Hershey had 1 child with his wife Harriet (often called Jill), a son named Peter. The family was active in the social network of Cold Spring Harbor Laboratories and regularly enjoyed the beach in season.
After Hershey died , another phage worker, Frank Stahl, wrote: "The Phage Church, as we were sometimes called, was led by the Trinity of Delbrück, Luria, and Hershey. Delbrück's status as founder and his ex cathedra manner made him the pope, of course, and Luria was the hard-working, socially sensitive priest-confessor. And Al (Hershey) was the saint."http://www.nap.edu/readingroom/books/biomems/ahershey.html
External links
- Nobel biography
- Biographical Memoir: Alfred Day Hershey by Franklin W. Stahl for the National Academy of SciencesUnited States National Academy of SciencesThe 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...
- Key Participants: Alfred D. Hershey - Linus Pauling and the Race for DNA: A Documentary History