Joshua Lederberg

Joshua Lederberg
Lederberg in New Delhi, India
5th President of Rockefeller University
In office
1978–1990
Preceded byFrederick Seitz
Succeeded byDavid Baltimore
Personal details
Born(1925-05-23)May 23, 1925
Montclair, New Jersey
DiedFebruary 2, 2008(2008-02-02) (aged 82)
New York City
NationalityAmerican
Spouse(s)Esther Miriam Zimmer (1946–1966; divorced)
Marguerite Stein Kirsch (1968–2008; 1 child, 1 stepchild)
Alma materStuyvesant High School
Columbia University
Yale University
Known forNeurospora crassa
Bacterial conjugation
Dendral
Astrobiology
Transduction
AwardsNobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine (1958)
National Medal of Science (1989)
Presidential Medal of Freedom (2006)
Scientific career
FieldsMicrobiologist
ThesisGenetic recombination in Escherichia coli (1947)
Doctoral advisorEdward Tatum
Doctoral studentsNorton Zinder

Joshua Lederberg, ForMemRS[1] (May 23, 1925 – February 2, 2008)[2] was an American molecular biologist known for his work in microbial genetics, artificial intelligence, and the United States space program. He was 33 years old when he won the 1958 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine for discovering that bacteria can mate and exchange genes (bacterial conjugation).[3] He shared the prize with Edward Tatum and George Beadle, who won for their work with genetics.

In addition to his contributions to biology, Lederberg did extensive research in artificial intelligence. This included work in the NASA experimental programs seeking life on Mars and the chemistry expert system Dendral.

  1. ^ Bodmer, W.; Ganesan, A. (2011). "Joshua Lederberg. 23 May 1925 – 2 February 2008". Biographical Memoirs of Fellows of the Royal Society. 57: 229–251. doi:10.1098/rsbm.2010.0024. S2CID 57778869.
  2. ^ "News - News". News.
  3. ^ Warwick, K. "The Joshua Lederberg Papers: Profiles in Science, National Library of Medicine", Biography, Volume 24, Number 4, Fall 2001, pp. 978-982

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