Norman Pirie facts for kids

Norman Wingate Pirie (1907–1997) was an important British biochemist and virologist. He is famous for a major discovery he made with Frederick Bawden in 1936. They found that a virus could be crystallized. This was a huge step in understanding how DNA and RNA work.

About Norman Pirie

Norman Pirie was born in Easebourne, England, in 1907. He grew up near Torrance, East Dunbartonshire in Scotland. As a child, he had a stammer. He was taught by private tutors and went to several schools. Later, he studied natural sciences at Emmanuel College, Cambridge.

In 1931, he married Antoinette Patey, who was also a biochemist. They had a son and a daughter. Norman Pirie was concerned about nuclear weapons. He even led a scientific group for the Campaign for Nuclear Disarmament. He passed away in 1997.

His Scientific Work

Pirie worked at Cambridge University until 1940. He worked with other scientists on different projects. From 1932, he studied bacteria that cause a disease called brucellosis. He also worked with Frederick Bawden on viruses that affect potatoes.

They studied the tobacco mosaic virus. They showed that this virus contained ribonucleic acid (RNA). At the time, many scientists thought viruses were only made of proteins. This was a very important finding!

In 1940, Pirie moved to Rothamsted Experimental Station. He became the head of the biochemistry department there in 1947. During World War II, Pirie looked into new ways to get food. He explored how to extract edible proteins from leaves. This research continued for many years.

Awards and Recognition

Norman Pirie was recognized for his amazing work. He became a Fellow of the Royal Society in 1949. This is a very high honor for scientists in the UK. In 1971, he received the Copley Medal. This award was given for his important discoveries in virology.

He retired in 1972. However, he kept working on his research. He continued to study leaf proteins and how they could be used in new foods.