Joshua Cohen
Joshua Lederberg
Full Name and Common Aliases
Joshua Lederberg (1925-2008) was an American molecular biologist, Nobel laureate, and educator.
Birth and Death Dates
Lederberg was born on May 23, 1925, in Mount Vernon, New York. He passed away on February 2, 2008, at the age of 82, due to complications from a stroke.
Nationality and Profession(s)
Lederberg held dual citizenship as an American and Israeli. His notable professions include molecular biologist, microbiologist, and educator.
Early Life and Background
Growing up in New York City's Bronx borough, Lederberg developed an early interest in science, particularly in physics and mathematics. He attended James Monroe High School before enrolling at Columbia University, where he earned his undergraduate degree in chemistry (1946). Lederberg later received his Ph.D. from Yale University (1950) under the supervision of Dr. George Beadle.
Major Accomplishments
Lederberg's pioneering work led to numerous groundbreaking discoveries:
1. Sexual reproduction in bacteria: He demonstrated that bacteria, like other living organisms, have a sexual process involving genetic recombination.
2. Genetic exchange and linkage analysis: Lederberg contributed significantly to the understanding of gene linkage in bacteria through his experiments on bacterial conjugation.
3. Discovery of sex pili: His work identified the mechanism by which bacteria transfer genetic material during conjugation, revealing the role of sex pili.
Notable Works or Actions
Lederberg was a prolific researcher and educator:
1. Author of influential papers: He published numerous seminal articles in leading scientific journals, including the famous "Genetic Exchange: Genetic Recombination in Escherichia Coli" (1952).
2. Fellow of the National Academy of Sciences: Lederberg was elected to this prestigious organization for his contributions to science.
3. Recipient of the Nobel Prize: In 1958, he shared the Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine with George Beadle and Edward Tatum for their discoveries concerning genetic recombination.
Impact and Legacy
Lederberg's work has had a lasting impact on genetics, microbiology, and molecular biology:
1. Fundamental contributions to our understanding of genetic inheritance: His studies laid the foundation for future research into gene function, regulation, and interaction.
2. Advancements in medicine and biotechnology: The insights he gained have been applied in various fields, including disease diagnosis, vaccine development, and synthetic biology.
Why They Are Widely Quoted or Remembered
Lederberg's groundbreaking discoveries have had a profound impact on the scientific community. His pioneering work has enabled significant advancements in genetics, microbiology, and molecular biology, paving the way for future breakthroughs.
Quotes by Joshua Cohen
I have what’s called an addiction to Ativan, and Xanax. Which is preferable to admitting to an aversion to planes.
May through to June I spent my time deciding how to spend my time, which is the first, second, and third through nine thousand seven hundred and griftyfifth items on the agenda of every writer, or neurotic. I was getting ahead of myself, fretting whether the book would have to have notes or sources cited, fretting whether I’d be allowed to decide anything at all.
By the highway, the Hudson – the library books straining at their delibags, corners poking. Straining my arms, throttling my hands, the numb rewards of literacy.
Women, because what are they worth? Men, because what are they worth? Music, because what is it worth? and, more importantly with music, what exactly is the it?
The chips were the enablers, limited pellets of silicon that served an apparently unlimited range of functions, as like a single snackfood delivering the tastes of chocolate, vanilla, pork rind, popcorn, pretzel, and chip in every bitesized bite.
The wife said, “That’s what it said in the pamphlet: follow in the footsteps of Jesus – but it didn’t say how many steps.
The best thing about search is you always find what you want. The worst thing about search is you never find what you do not want.
But death on the page is just a typo, I said: You can’t say for example, She is dead–“she” no longer is. You can’t say for example, She was dead–death itself, a condition coterminous with eternity, renders the past tense inaccurate.