John Postgate (microbiologist) facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
John Postgate
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In his laboratory
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John Raymond Postgate
24 June 1922 London, England
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| Died | 22 October 2014 (aged 92) |
| Alma mater | University of Oxford (BA, DPhil) |
| Known for | Microbes and Man (1969) |
| Spouse(s) | Mary Stewart (d. 2008) |
| Children | 3 |
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| Thesis | Aspects of the metabolism of micro-organisms (1952) |
John Raymond Postgate (born June 24, 1922 – died October 22, 2014) was an English microbiologist and writer. A microbiologist studies tiny living things called microbes or microorganisms. He was a professor at the University of Sussex.
Postgate's research focused on how microbes work. He studied nitrogen fixation, which is how some bacteria turn nitrogen gas from the air into a form plants can use. He also looked at how microbes survive tough conditions. Another area was sulphate-reducing bacteria, which are special bacteria that use sulfur compounds.
He worked for the Agricultural Research Council from 1963 until he retired in 1987. He became the director of their Unit of Nitrogen Fixation. Many people saw him as a very important person in British microbiology.
His famous book, Microbes and Man, was first published in 1969. It helps people understand how microbes affect human life. This book is still available today.
Contents
Early Life and Education
John Raymond Postgate was born in London, England, on June 24, 1922. His father, Raymond Postgate, was a writer. His mother, Daisy Postgate, worked for her father, George Lansbury, a politician.
John had a younger brother named Oliver Postgate. Oliver later became famous for creating children's TV shows. Several other members of the Postgate family were also well-known. His cousin was the actress Angela Lansbury.
John went to private schools in North London. When he was 11, he moved to Kingsbury County School. During World War II, he moved to Devon for safety.
In 1941, he won a special scholarship to Balliol College, Oxford. He studied Chemistry and also took a course in biochemistry. For his final project, he researched how bacteria adapt to difficult environments.
He continued his studies with a grant from the Medical Research Council. He earned a doctorate degree. His research looked at how bacteria become resistant to certain medicines called sulphonamide drugs. This work taught him a lot about how different substances compete inside cells.
Career and Scientific Research
In 1948, John Postgate started working at the Chemical Research Laboratory (CRL) in Teddington. He studied the chemistry of sulphate-reducing bacteria. These bacteria are anaerobes, meaning they live without air. They change mineral sulphates into hydrogen sulphide.
It was hard to grow these bacteria in the lab. But Postgate found ways to grow many of them. He discovered that other chemicals, like selenates, could stop the bacteria from reducing sulphates.
His most important discovery was a protein called cytochrome C3. Cytochromes are proteins found in most living things that breathe air. They help with breathing processes. Finding a cytochrome in a bacteria that lived without air was a big surprise. This discovery helped scientists understand "anaerobic respiration." This is how some organisms get energy by using minerals instead of oxygen.
Postgate also enjoyed solving practical problems. His lab bacteria could reduce sulphates very quickly. This made people think about using them to make sulphur for industry. Sulphur was in short supply after the war. Postgate even traveled to Cyrenaica to study sulphur springs.
In 1959, the group he worked with at CRL was reorganized. Postgate then moved to the Microbiological Research Establishment (MRE) at Porton Down. Here, he studied how bacteria survive when they don't have much food. He looked at how bacteria like Klebsiella survive starvation. He introduced the idea of "cryptic growth." This is when bacteria survive by using nutrients from dead bacteria. This helped explain how bacteria can last a very long time in places like ancient salt deposits.
In 1963, Postgate joined the Agricultural Research Council's new Unit of Nitrogen Fixation (UNF). He was the Assistant Director and planned the biological research. The Unit moved to the University of Sussex in 1964. In 1965, the University also made him a Professor of Microbiology.
The UNF focused on nitrogen fixation by free-living bacteria. This is a process where bacteria turn nitrogen gas from the air into a form plants can use to grow. This is very important for life on Earth. Postgate and his team studied the enzyme called nitrogenase. This enzyme is responsible for nitrogen fixation. They found out how it works and what it needs to function.
They also discovered a different type of nitrogenase that uses vanadium instead of molybdenum. The team also found a group of 21 genes that control nitrogen fixation. They even managed to move these genes to other bacteria, giving them the ability to fix nitrogen. Their work made the UNF a world leader in this field.
Postgate became the Director of the UNF in 1980. He retired in 1987.
Books and Articles
John Postgate wrote over 200 research papers. He also wrote about 30 articles for general readers. He edited books on nitrogen fixation and how microbes survive.
He wrote four specialized books. His book on sulphate-reducing bacteria encouraged a lot of research around the world. His popular science books, Microbes and Man and The Outer Reaches Of Life, were very influential. They were translated into many languages. Microbes and Man is still being printed today.
He also wrote many articles on topics like population growth and the public understanding of science. These appeared in newspapers and magazines like The Times and New Scientist.
He wrote about his family too. He wrote articles and a biography about his father, Raymond Postgate. He also wrote about his great-grandfather, John Postgate. In 2013, he wrote a book about his own life as a scientist.
Published Books
- A Plain Man's Guide To Jazz
- Nitrogen Fixation
- The Sulphate-reducing Bacteria
- Microbes and Man
- The Outer Reaches of Life
- A Stomach for Dissent; The Life of Raymond Postgate, 1896-1971
- Lethal Lozenges and Tainted Tea: A Biography of John Postgate, 1820-1881
- Microbes, Music and Me: A life in Science
Awards and Recognition
John Postgate received many awards for his scientific work. He was elected a Fellow of the Royal Society (FRS) in 1977. This is a very high honor for scientists in the UK. He was also a Fellow of the Institute of Biology.
In 1992, he gave the prestigious Royal Society Leeuwenhoek Lecture. The lecture was about how bacteria evolved and how they help plants fix nitrogen. He served on several important committees for the Royal Society and the government. These committees discussed topics like space biology and genetic engineering.
He earned a Doctor of Science (D.Sc) degree from Oxford in 1965. He also received honorary doctorates from the University of Bath and the University of Dundee.
His nomination for the Royal Society praised his many contributions. It mentioned his studies of sulphate-reducing bacteria and his discovery of cytochrome c-3. It also highlighted his work on how bacteria survive starvation and cold. His research on nitrogen fixation was also noted, especially his work on the nitrogenase enzyme and transferring nitrogen-fixing genes to other bacteria.
Personal Life and Interests
In 1948, John Postgate married Mary Stewart. They had three daughters: Selina Anne, Lucy Belinda, and Joanna Mary. Mary passed away in 2008.
Postgate loved jazz music throughout his life. He taught himself to play the cornet. He led the Oxford University Dixieland Bandits from 1943 to 1948. Later, he played with other jazz groups. He also led the Sussex Trugs, a jazz band made up of staff from the University of Sussex.
He wrote many articles and reviews about jazz music for special jazz magazines. He also wrote an early guide to jazz called A Plain Man's Guide To Jazz.
John Postgate was part of the famous Postgate family. It's important not to confuse him with other notable family members. His grandfather, John Percival Postgate, was a professor of Latin. His great-grandfather, John Postgate, was a surgeon who campaigned against food adulteration.
