Howard Martin Temin facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Howard Temin
|
|
|---|---|
Temin in 1975
|
|
| Born |
Howard Martin Temin
December 10, 1934 |
| Died | February 9, 1994 (aged 59) |
| Nationality | American |
| Alma mater | |
| Known for | Reverse transcriptase |
| Spouse(s) |
Rayla Greenberg
(m. 1962) |
| Children | two |
| Awards |
|
| Scientific career | |
| Fields | |
| Institutions | University of Wisconsin–Madison |
| Thesis | The interaction of Rous sarcoma virus and cells in vitro (1960) |
| Influenced | Wei-Shau Hu |
Howard Martin Temin (born December 10, 1934 – died February 9, 1994) was an American geneticist and virologist. He is famous for discovering reverse transcriptase in the 1970s. This important discovery helped him share the 1975 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine with Renato Dulbecco and David Baltimore.
Contents
Early Life and Learning
Howard Temin was born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. His parents, Annette and Henry, were Jewish and taught their family about social justice and thinking for themselves. These values stayed with Howard throughout his life.
When he was a high school student at Central High School, he joined a special summer science program. The program's director said Howard was "unquestionably the finest scientist" he had ever seen. Howard later said this experience made him truly interested in science.
His family showed their values in many ways. For Howard's bar mitzvah, they gave money to a camp for people who had lost their homes. This was instead of spending it on a big party. Howard was also the top student in his class. In his graduation speech, he talked about important topics like the hydrogen bomb and sending a person to the moon.
Howard went to Swarthmore College and earned a bachelor's degree in biology in 1955. He then got his doctorate degree in animal virology from the California Institute of Technology in 1959.
Discovering Reverse Transcriptase
Howard Temin's first real science experience was at the California Institute of Technology (Caltech). He started by studying how living things develop, but later switched to studying viruses. He became very interested in the work of Professor Renato Dulbecco.
In Dulbecco's lab, Temin studied the Rous sarcoma virus (RSV). This virus causes tumors in chickens. He noticed that when the virus infected cells, it changed the cells' structure. This made him think that the virus's genetic material was becoming part of the cell's own genetic material. For his doctoral paper, Temin suggested that RSV had a "close relationship" with the cell's genes.
In 1960, Temin moved to the University of Wisconsin–Madison. He continued his research on RSV. He used a medicine called actinomycin D to figure out that the virus's genetic material, which he called the "provirus", was made of DNA or was located on the cell's DNA. This meant that the RSV virus was somehow making new DNA from its own RNA.
This idea was very new and went against what many scientists believed at the time. A famous scientist named Francis Crick had suggested that genetic information usually flows only from DNA to RNA to protein. Temin's idea that information could flow backward, from RNA to DNA, was revolutionary. Many scientists didn't believe him and thought it was impossible.
But Temin kept working to find proof. In 1969, he and his colleague Satoshi Mizutani found the special enzyme that allowed this backward flow of information. This enzyme was named reverse transcriptase. At the same time, another scientist, David Baltimore, also discovered reverse transcriptase independently.
In 1975, Howard Temin and David Baltimore shared the Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine for their discovery. This discovery was incredibly important. Reverse transcriptase is a key enzyme in many serious viral diseases, including AIDS and Hepatitis B. It is also used in many important tools in modern biology and medicine.
Awards and Recognition
Howard Temin received many awards and honors for his groundbreaking work. He became a member of important scientific groups like the American Academy of Arts and Sciences (1973) and the United States National Academy of Sciences (1974). In 1992, he received the National Medal of Science. He was also chosen as a Foreign Member of the Royal Society in 1988.
After winning the Nobel Prize, Temin focused his research on how viruses package their genetic material. He also worked on developing a new vaccine for HIV and studying how retroviruses change over time.
Life After the Nobel Prize
After winning the Nobel Prize in 1975, Howard Temin became a highly respected researcher. He used his new fame to try and make the world a better place.
For example, in 1976, he helped scientists in the Soviet Union who were being treated unfairly by the government. These Jewish Soviet scientists had lost their jobs because they wanted to move to Israel. Temin visited them, gave them money and scientific journals that were banned. He even gave a secret lecture in someone's home. When some of these scientists were arrested the next day, Temin recorded their stories and shared them with newspapers in the United States to make the situation known.
Another example of Temin's strong beliefs was at the Nobel Prize reception. After receiving his award, he spoke to the audience, which included the Queen of Denmark. He said he was "outraged" that more people weren't quitting smoking, because it could prevent so much cancer. He even insisted that the ashtray on the Nobel laureates' table be removed.
After winning the Nobel Prize, Temin also became more involved in the wider scientific community. He was part of many scientific journals and advised important organizations like the National Institutes of Health (NIH). He also worked on committees related to AIDS research and public policy.
In 1981, Temin helped start the World Cultural Council, an organization that promotes culture and education.
Later Life and Impact
Howard Temin continued to teach and do research at the University of Wisconsin–Madison until he passed away from lung cancer on February 9, 1994. He left behind his wife, Rayla, who was also a geneticist, their two daughters, and his two brothers.
His discovery of reverse transcriptase changed how we understand viruses and diseases. It led to new ways to fight illnesses like AIDS and Hepatitis B, and it remains a vital tool in modern biology.
See also
In Spanish: Howard Martin Temin para niños
