Donald Crothers facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Donald Morris Crothers
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Don Crothers, photographed 18 June 2011
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| Born | January 28, 1937 Fatehgarh, India
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| Died | March 16, 2014 (aged 77) |
| Nationality |  American |
| Citizenship | American |
| Alma mater | Yale University University of Cambridge UCSD |
| Known for | Nucleic acid structure and function |
| Spouse(s) | Leena Kareoja-Crothers |
| Scientific career | |
| Fields | Chemistry |
| Institutions | Yale University |
| Thesis | The denaturation of helical polynucleotides (1963) |
| Doctoral advisor | Bruno Zimm |
Donald Crothers (born January 28, 1937, died March 16, 2014) was a smart scientist. He taught chemistry at Yale University in the United States. He was famous for studying how nucleic acids, like DNA and RNA, are built and how they work.
Contents
Early Life and Education
Donald Crothers was the son of Morris King Crothers and Florence Kittredge Crothers. He was a very good student. In 1958, he graduated with top honors from Yale University. He earned a degree in Chemistry there.
He then went to the University of Cambridge in England. He got another degree in 1960. A special scholarship helped him study Chemistry there. In 1963, he earned his Ph.D. in Chemistry. This was from the University of California, San Diego. He worked with a scientist named Bruno Zimm for his Ph.D.
When he was a student at Yale, Donald Crothers worked with Ignacio Tinoco. They were in the lab of John Kirkwood. Later, Crothers and Tinoco wrote two important books together. One was called "Physical Chemistry of Nucleic Acids." It was updated later as "Nucleic Acids: Structures, Properties, and Functions."
His Career as a Scientist
After finishing his studies, Donald Crothers worked in Germany. He was at the Max Planck Institute for Biophysical Chemistry. In 1964, he came back to Yale University. He became a professor in the Chemistry Department.
He became a full professor in 1971. Later, he was given a special title, the Alfred E. Kemp Professorship. He also led the Yale Chemistry Department for several years. He was the chairman from 1975 to 1981 and again from 1994 to 2000.
When he retired in 2003, he was a very important professor. He also helped start the Department of Molecular Biophysics and Biochemistry. After leaving Yale, he worked as a science advisor for many companies. These companies focused on new biological technologies.
Important Discoveries and Work
Donald Crothers helped invent a special tool. It was called the Zimm–Crothers viscometer. This tool helps measure how thick liquids are.
One of his most famous works was a method called the "gel shift" assay. This method helps scientists find and study how proteins connect to nucleic acids. It's used a lot in labs today.
He also made many other important discoveries. He studied how RNA and DNA fold and stay stable. He looked at how magnesium helps RNA fold correctly. He also researched how medicines interact with DNA. His work helped us understand how DNA bends and how RNA works in special ways.
Awards and Special Honors
Professor Crothers was known for his amazing ideas. He helped us understand the shape and properties of nucleic acids. He received the Alexander von Humboldt Senior Scientist Award in 1981.
In 1986, he became a member of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences. The next year, in 1987, he was chosen for the United States National Academy of Sciences. This is a very high honor for scientists in the U.S.
He also won the Emily M. Gray Award in 2008. He shared this award with David Eisenberg. They won it for writing great textbooks. These books helped many students learn about biophysics. They wrote a book together called "Physical Chemistry with Applications to the Life Sciences."
His Family Life
Donald Crothers was married to Leena Kareoja-Crothers for 54 years. Leena was a talented pianist and music teacher. She was originally from Finland. They had two daughters and four grandchildren.
Books He Wrote
- Physical Chemistry of Nucleic Acids (1st Ed) (1974) with Victor A. Bloomfield and Ignacio Tinoco.
- Physical Chemistry with Applications to the Life Sciences (1st Ed) (1979) with David Eisenberg.
- Nucleic Acids: Structures, Properties, and Functions (1st Ed) (2000) with Victor A. Bloomfield and Ignacio Tinoco.
