James E. Darnell facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
James E. Darnell
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James E. Darnell receiving the 2002 National Medal of Science
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| Born | September 9, 1930 |
| Citizenship | United States |
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| Awards | Albany Medical Center Prize (2012) Albert Lasker Special Achievement Award (2002) National Medal of Science (2002) E.B. Wilson Medal (1998) Canada Gairdner International Award (1986) |
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James Edwin Darnell Jr. was born on September 9, 1930, in Columbus, Mississippi. He is an American biologist who has made very important discoveries about how our cells work. He also wrote a famous textbook called Molecular Cell Biology.
In 2004, he became a foreign member of the Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences, a group of top scientists. In 2013, he also joined the American Philosophical Society, another important group for thinkers and scientists. Since 2013, Dr. Darnell has helped guide the National Center for Science Education.
Discoveries in Cell Biology
Dr. Darnell's work has greatly helped us understand how living cells function. He focused on two main areas:
RNA Processing
One of his big discoveries was about something called RNA processing in eukaryotes. Eukaryotes are living things whose cells have a nucleus, like humans, animals, and plants. Inside our cells, DNA holds all the instructions for life. These instructions are copied into a messenger molecule called RNA. Dr. Darnell found out that this RNA needs to be "processed" or prepared before it can be used to make proteins. Think of it like editing a rough draft of a message before it's sent out. This processing step is super important for cells to work correctly.
Cytokine Signaling
Dr. Darnell also figured out how special proteins called cytokines tell genes what to do. Cytokines are like tiny messengers that cells use to talk to each other. They can tell a cell to grow, divide, or even stop working. Dr. Darnell showed how these messages from outside the cell get inside and "turn on" specific genes in the cell's nucleus. This process is called cytokine signaling. It's vital for things like our immune system and how our bodies develop.
Awards
Dr. Darnell has received many important awards for his amazing scientific work. These awards show how much his discoveries have helped us understand biology.
- 1999 Dickson Prize
- 1999 Cancer Research Institute William B. Coley Award
- 2002 National Medal of Science
- 2002 Albert Lasker Special Achievement Award
- 2010 Hope Funds Award in Basic Research
- 2012 Albany Medical Center Prize
