When there is a whizz-kid who researched topics that astonished his professors and friends, only to be the youngest Nobel prize recipient in physiology in his era to further research on bacterial genetics, fungi like Neurospora. If we think that his life was all about biology, we are wrong.
His interests included Exobiology, Artificial Intelligence, and finding the cause of some mysterious incidents. A person who seems like a highly talented agent if Biology itself was a spy agency. That is Prof. Joshua Lederberg for you.
Prof. Joshua Lederberg's research included experiments on the genetics of bacteria and fungi. He started the integration of Artificial Intelligence in Biology and developed the field of exobiology. He was a key figure in investigating bizarre incidents like a bio-apocalypse-like situation in Russia and the mysterious cases of Gulf War syndrome affecting American soldiers in the middle east. If I keep on explaining his achievements and adventures instead of a blog like this, I might end up with a biography.
I found the answers to some of the most simple yet unanswered doubts from my biology classes on reproduction and basic genetics.
Are all bacteria clones since they reproduce asexually? The same question was in the mind of 30-year-old Prof.Joshua Lederberg nearly 68 years ago.
Like any student fascinated by the world of genetics, he shifted his interest from medicine to genetics after being fascinated by the experiments of Beadle and Tatum on Neurospora crassa as an ideal organism for genetic analysis and research. This research is currently fuelling a new world of technology to discover whether a person has cancer, his ancestry, and the sequencing of genes to predict rare diseases. The Neurospora is a fungus not related to neurology but has the word "Neuro" because of the striations which resemble the nerves. I also found it on supermarket shelves like vegan steak, thanks to the Meati Foods.
Later, because of his interest in the transforming ability of DNA, stating that DNA affects the properties of the cell and its functions, he experimented on Neurospora crassa but did not get the required outcomes. He proved that all bacteria are not clones and they had genes by testing on E. coli with his colleagues, Beadle and Tatum. This experiment led to the discovery of Bacterial Conjugation which later led him to win the Nobel Prize in Physiology.
There are structures called pili that bridge the two bacteria during conjugation. The transfer of genetic material through pili results in the exchange of genetic material between two bacteria, resulting in them not being clones.
In simple words, conjugation is the microscopic and ancient form of sexual reproduction.
Joshua Lederberg shone like a bright mountain like the name of his hometown "Montclair" throughout his life as he won many awards, like the National Medal of Science and Presidential Medal of Freedom. He inspired scientists to try integrating other domains of science or technology for the discovery of breakthroughs in the scientific world.
There are hundreds of scientists who had a similar journey in their life as Prof. Joshua Lederberg in this scientific world. What are your thoughts on a new blog on A.I. and extraterrestrial life in the far cosmos or his adventures in the soviet union and the middle east? Please let me know your views in the comment section below.
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