GW
George Wald
85quotes
George Wald
#### Full Name and Common Aliases
George Wald was a renowned American biochemist and Nobel laureate.
Birth and Death Dates
Born on November 18, 1906, in New York City, USA. Passed away on April 12, 1997, at the age of 90.
Nationality and Profession(s)
Nationality: American
Profession(s): Biochemist, Biologist, Professor
Early Life and Background
George Wald was born to a Jewish family in New York City. His interest in science began early, influenced by his high school biology teacher. He attended Harvard University, where he earned his undergraduate degree in 1927 and later received his Ph.D. in biochemistry in 1932.
Major Accomplishments
Wald's groundbreaking work on the structure of visual pigments in the retina led to a deeper understanding of vision and the detection of light by the eye. He discovered that rhodopsin, the pigment responsible for night vision, is composed of vitamin A derivative retinaldehyde. This discovery earned him the Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine in 1967.
Notable Works or Actions
Some notable works include:
Visual Pigments: Wald's research on visual pigments led to a deeper understanding of how light interacts with photoreceptor cells in the retina.
Bioluminescence: He studied bioluminescent organisms, including fireflies and glowworms, which helped him understand the mechanisms behind light production in living organisms.
Impact and Legacy
George Wald's work has significantly impacted our understanding of vision, bioluminescence, and the structure of biological molecules. His discovery of retinaldehyde in rhodopsin paved the way for further research into the genetics of inherited eye diseases.
Why They Are Widely Quoted or Remembered
Wald is widely quoted and remembered due to his pioneering work on visual pigments and bioluminescence, which has led to numerous breakthroughs in our understanding of vision and light production. His contributions have far-reaching implications for fields such as ophthalmology, optometry, and molecular biology.
As a renowned biochemist and Nobel laureate, George Wald's legacy extends beyond his scientific achievements. He was also an advocate for social justice, particularly regarding civil rights and environmental protection. His dedication to both scientific inquiry and public service has left a lasting impact on the world of science and beyond.
Quotes by George Wald
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A scientist should be the happiest of men. Not that science isn’t serious; but as everyone knows, being serious is one way of being happy, just as being gay is one way of being unhappy.
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Life has a status in the physical universe. It is part of the order of nature. It has a high place in that order, since it probably represents the most complex state of organisation that matter has achieved in our universe. We on this planet have an especially proud place as men; for in us as men matter has begun to contemplate itself...
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There is nothing worth having that can he obtained by nuclear war – nothing material or ideological – no tradition that it can defend. It is utterly self-defeating.
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We have fallen in love with the body. That’s that thing that looks back at us from the mirror. That’s the repository of that lovely identity that you keep chasing all your life.
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The thought that we’re in competition with Russians or with Chinese is all a mistake, and trivial. We are one species, with a world to win.
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The Vietnamese have a secret weapon. It’s their willingness to die beyond our willingness to kill. In effect, they’ve been saying, You can kill us, but you’ll have to kill a lot of us; you may have to kill all of us. And, thank heaven, we are not yet ready to do that.
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It’s not good enough to give it tender, loving care, to supply it with breakfast foods, to buy it expensive educations. Those things don’t mean anything unless this generation has a future. And we’re not sure that it does.
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We’ve committed many war crimes in Vietnam – but I’ll tell you something interesting about that. We were committing war crimes in World War II, before the Nuremberg trials were held and the principle of war crimes was stated.
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I think if a physician wrote on a death certificate that old age was the cause of death, he’d be thrown out of the union. There is always some final event, some failure of an organ, some last attack of pneumonia, that finishes off a life. No one dies of old age.
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There’s life all over this universe, but the only life in the solar system is on earth, and in the whole universe we are the only men.
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