Alexander Spirin facts for kids

Alexander Sergeevich Spirin (born September 4, 1931 – died December 30, 2020) was a famous Russian scientist. He was a biochemist, which means he studied the chemistry of living things. He was also a molecular biologist, focusing on the tiny parts inside cells.

Professor Spirin was a top professor at Moscow State University. He also led the Institute of Protein Research in Puschino, Russia. His main work was about nucleic acids, like DNA and RNA, and how cells make proteins.

Amazing Discoveries

Alexander Spirin made many important discoveries in science. His work helped us understand how our bodies build proteins.

Uncovering Messenger RNA

• In 1957, with Andrey Nikolayevich Belozersky, he studied DNA and RNA in bacteria.
• They figured out that something called "messenger RNA" (mRNA) must exist.
• Think of mRNA as a special message. It carries instructions from DNA to tell the cell how to make proteins.

Understanding RNA Structure

• From 1959 to 1961, he described the structure of long RNA molecules.
• This helped scientists understand how RNA works inside cells.

Ribosomes: Protein Factories

• In 1963, he discovered how ribosomes change their shape.
• Ribosomes are like tiny factories in our cells that build proteins.
• He explained how these changes in ribosomes help them do their job.

Building Ribosomes from Scratch

• Between 1963 and 1966, he showed that ribosomes could put themselves back together.
• This was a big deal because it proved how these complex cell parts could form.

How Ribosomes Make Proteins

• In 1968, he suggested a way that ribosomes help make proteins.
• He explained the step-by-step process of how ribosomes read the mRNA message and build proteins.

Making Proteins Without Enzymes

• From 1970 to 1974, he worked with L.P. Gavrilova.
• They showed that proteins could be made outside a cell, even without special helper molecules called enzymes.
• This was called "non-enzymatic translation."

His Journey in Science

Alexander Spirin worked hard throughout his career.

• In 1957, he earned his first advanced degree, like a master's.
• By 1962, he completed his doctoral degree, which is the highest academic degree.
• In 1964, he became a full Professor.
• He was elected to the Academy of Sciences of the USSR in 1966.
• He became a full member of the Academy in 1970, which is a very high honor for a scientist.

Awards and Honors

Dr. Spirin received many important awards for his scientific work.

• In 1969, he was given the Sir Hans Krebs Medal.
• He became an Honorary Fellow of the University of Granada in 1972.
• In 1974, he joined the German Academy of Sciences Leopoldina.
• He received the famous Demidov Prize in 2013.
• In 1997, he was elected to the American Philosophical Society.
• In 2019, he became a foreign associate of the US National Academy of Sciences.