Via Tara Smith, I learned of the passing of Joshua Lederberg. I came to appreciate the full scope of Lederberg's work while working on my book Microcosm; by discovering the secret sex life of E. coli, he helped build the science of molecular biology. It's sad to observe the passing of this scientific cohort who together uncovered some of the fundamental secrets of life, including Lederberg's wife Esther, Seymour Benzer, and Francis Crick. Today we live in an age of big biology; Lederberg won his Nobel prize in large part for the work he did in near solitude as a graduate student. We may not see their likes again.
The Loom
A blog about life, past and future
Profile
Carl Zimmer is a science writer. PLEASE VISIT THE LOOM AT ITS NEW HOME.
Books by Carl Zimmer
"Essential reading"--Publisher's Weekly
Microcosm: E. coli and the New Science of Life
Charles Darwin's The Descent of Man: The Concise Edition
"As fine a book as one will find on the subject."-- Scientific American
Revised with a new introduction
"Superb...a non-stop delight."-- New Scientist
"Fascinating...thrilling... Zimmer has produced a top-notch work of popular science." --LA Times
"A fascinating story, which Zimmer unfolds as a tale of high-stakes scientific sleuthing...thanks to marvelous lucid writing." --Booklist
Assorted Links
Swatches from the Loom
- The Wisdom of Parasites
- Eyes Part One: Opening Up the Russian Doll
- Hamilton's Fall
- Old Hands and New Fins
- The Origin of the Ridiculous
Search
Recent Posts
- The Loom Ends. The Loom Lives!
- The News Can Wait
- Almost Ready...
- Some News...
- A Tapeworm Mystery: Which Way Is Up?
- Microcosm in tomorrow's New York Times Book Review
- A Talk With Paul Ehrlich About The State of the World
- Nice and Weird: Dispatches from The Depths of Parasitology
- The Ten-Mile-Wide Bullet
- Reminder: I'm talking tonight in Los Angeles
Science Tattoo Emporium
Recent Comments
- Harlan on Some News...
- hardindr on Some News...
- Bob O'H on Some News...
- Neerali on A Tapeworm Mystery: Which Way Is Up?
- Michael Balter on Microcosm in tomorrow's New York Times Book Review
- Owlmirror on Of Bacteria and Throw Pillows
- Bishop Pontoppodan on Of Bacteria and Throw Pillows
- themadlolscientist on A Tapeworm Mystery: Which Way Is Up?
- Pteryxx on Nice and Weird: Dispatches from The Depths of Parasitology
- Pteryxx on Of Bacteria and Throw Pillows
Blogroll
Archives
- July 2008
- June 2008
- May 2008
- April 2008
- March 2008
- February 2008
- January 2008
- December 2007
- November 2007
- October 2007
- September 2007
- August 2007
- July 2007
- June 2007
- May 2007
- April 2007
- March 2007
- February 2007
- January 2007
- December 2006
- November 2006
- October 2006
- September 2006
- August 2006
- July 2006
- June 2006
- May 2006
- April 2006
- March 2006
- February 2006
- January 2006
- December 2005
- November 2005
- October 2005
- September 2005
- August 2005
- July 2005
- June 2005
- May 2005
- April 2005
- March 2005
- February 2005
- January 2005
- December 2004
- November 2004
- October 2004
- September 2004
- August 2004
- July 2004
- June 2004
- May 2004
- April 2004
- March 2004
- February 2004
- January 2004
- December 2003
- November 2003
- October 2003
- September 2003
Data
The Original Home of the Giant Flatulent Raccoon
Why the Loom?
"...among the joyous, heartless, ever-juvenile eternities, Pip saw the multitudinous, God-omnipresent, coral insects, that out of the firmament of waters, heaved the colossal orbs. He saw God's foot upon the treadle of the loom, and spoke it; and therefore his shipmates called him mad."
--Moby Dick
The Loom has moved! Make sure to update your bookmarks and feed readers.
« Darwin, Microbes, Whales, and Pop Parasites: More Talks! | Main | Heading North »
Farewell, Joshua Lederberg
Category: Microcosm: The Book
Posted on: February 5, 2008 7:55 PM, by Carl Zimmer
Comments
For sure, this was a man with a tremendous intellect - uncovering the horizontal transfer of genes in bacteria when molecular biology was not even in existence was a great achievement. I work on interspecies gene transfer and it is still a very important area of science, sixty years after Lederberg and Tatum broke fresh ground.
Posted by: James McInerney | February 6, 2008 9:18 AM