Gerald Edelman facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Gerald Edelman
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Gerald Maurice Edelman
July 1, 1929 |
| Died | May 17, 2014 (aged 84) |
| Alma mater | Ursinus College, University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine, The Rockefeller University |
| Spouse(s) | Maxine M. Morrison (m. 1950; 3 children) |
| Awards | Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine in 1972 |
| Scientific career | |
| Fields | Immunology Neuroscience Philosophy of mind |
| Doctoral students | Paul David Gottlieb |
Gerald Maurice Edelman (born July 1, 1929 – died May 17, 2014) was an American biologist. He won the Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine in 1972. He shared this prize with Rodney Robert Porter for their amazing work on the immune system. They discovered how antibody molecules are built. Edelman later said that how our immune system changes over time is like how our brain develops. This idea connected his Nobel Prize work to his later studies on the brain and the mind.
Contents
Early Life and Education
Gerald Edelman was born in 1929 in Ozone Park, New York. His father, Edward Edelman, was a doctor, and his mother, Anna Edelman, worked in insurance.
Young Gerald played the violin for many years. However, he decided he didn't want to be a concert violinist. Instead, he chose to go into medical research. He went to public schools in New York. He then studied at Ursinus College and the Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania. He earned his medical degree in 1954.
Edelman's Career in Science
After medical school, Edelman worked at a medical physics foundation. He then became a resident doctor at Massachusetts General Hospital. He also practiced medicine in France while serving in the US Army Medical Corps.
In 1957, Edelman joined the Rockefeller Institute for Medical Research. He earned his Ph.D. there in 1960. He became a professor at the school in 1966. Later, in 1992, he moved to California. He became a professor of neurobiology at The Scripps Research Institute.
Discovering Cell Adhesion Molecules
After winning the Nobel Prize, Edelman started studying how cells grow and how multi-celled organisms develop. He focused on how cells interact with each other. This led to a big discovery: cell adhesion molecules (CAMs).
CAMs are like tiny guides that help animals form their shape. They also help build the nervous system. A very important finding was that the gene for a neural CAM molecule helped create the whole system of adaptive immunity during evolution.
For his important work, Edelman became a member of top scientific groups. These included the American Academy of Arts and Sciences and the American Philosophical Society.
Winning the Nobel Prize
While in Paris with the Army, Edelman read a book about antibodies. He was fascinated by how little was known about them. This sparked his interest in studying them further when he returned to the United States. This led him to study physical chemistry for his Ph.D.
In the early 1960s, Edelman and his team, along with Rodney Robert Porter, made huge discoveries. They figured out the chemical structure of antibodies. This opened the door for much more research. For this groundbreaking work, Edelman and Porter shared the Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine in 1972.
Understanding Antibody Structure
Edelman's early research showed that special chemical links called disulfide bonds hold antibody proteins together. Antibodies have two types of protein parts: larger "heavy chains" and smaller "light chains." Two light chains and two heavy chains are linked by these bonds to form a working antibody.
Edelman also created models of antibody proteins. These models showed that the parts of antibodies that bind to antigens (called Fab regions) include parts from both the light and heavy chains. The disulfide bonds help bring these parts together.
Sequencing Antibodies
Edelman and his team used special chemicals and enzymes to break antibody proteins into smaller pieces. This allowed them to figure out the exact order of amino acids in the antibody. In 1969, they determined the first complete antibody sequence. It was the largest protein sequence ever found at that time!
Knowing the amino acid sequences helped scientists understand something amazing. The body can make many different antibodies. They all have similar "constant regions" but very different "variable regions." This difference allows them to fight many different germs.
Topobiology: How Cells Form Shapes
Edelman also developed a theory called "Topobiology." This idea explains how a single cell can grow into a complex multi-celled organism. It says that cells stick together differently, which helps sculpt and maintain tissues. This process helps cells organize themselves into the right shapes.
Edelman's Theory of Consciousness
Later in his career, Edelman became well-known for his ideas about consciousness. He wrote several books for both scientists and the general public. These books included Bright Air, Brilliant Fire (1992) and A Universe of Consciousness (2001).
In his book Second Nature, Edelman described human consciousness as:
- "... what you lose on entering a dreamless deep sleep ... deep anesthesia or coma ... what you regain after emerging from these states. [The] experience of a unitary scene composed variably of sensory responses ... memories ... situatedness ..."
Edelman's theory of consciousness is based on biology. He linked it to Charles Darwin's theory of natural selection. He believed that the mind and consciousness are purely biological. They come from complex cell processes in the brain. He did not think the brain works like a computer.
Edelman argued that the development of consciousness and intelligence can be explained by Darwin's ideas. The brain has billions of neurons. These neurons make trillions of connections. The young brain has more connections than it needs. Edelman believed that only the best-adapted networks of neurons survive and organize.
Neural Darwinism: How the Brain Learns
Edelman's theory of neuronal group selection, also called 'Neural Darwinism', has three main parts:
- Developmental Selection: The basic shape of the brain is set by genes. But how neurons connect and form groups is shaped as a person grows. This creates a unique brain structure for everyone, like a fingerprint. These neuron groups are very flexible and can organize into many complex "modules."
- Experiential Selection: As we live, our brain keeps changing. Connections between neuron groups can get stronger or weaker. This process helps the brain "map" complex events from our senses and body. Edelman said this is like natural selection in species. This flexibility is key because our genes can't possibly plan out every single connection in our brain.
- Reentry: This is about how different neuron groups send signals back and forth to each other. Edelman described reentry as a "higher-order selection" process. He said it's unique to animal brains. This constant back-and-forth communication helps different parts of the brain work together in time and space.
Evolution and Degeneracy
Edelman and his colleague Gally were the first to point out how common "degeneracy" is in biology. Degeneracy means that different parts or processes can do the same job. They showed that this plays a key role in how evolution happens.
Later Career and Personal Life
Edelman founded and led The Neurosciences Institute in San Diego. This research center studied how the human brain works. He also served on the scientific board of the World Knowledge Dialogue project.
Edelman married Maxine M. Morrison in 1950. They had two sons, Eric and David, and a daughter, Judith. Eric is a visual artist, David is a neuroscience professor, and Judith is a bluegrass musician.
Later in his life, Edelman faced health challenges like prostate cancer and Parkinson's disease. He passed away on May 17, 2014, in La Jolla, California, at the age of 84.
See also
- Biologically inspired computing
- Embodied philosophy
- Embodied cognition
- Reentry (neural circuitry)
- List of Nobel laureates
