Paul Nurse facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Sir Paul Nurse
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| Chancellor of the University of Bristol | |
| Assumed office 2017 |
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| President | Hugh Brady |
| Preceded by | The Baroness Hale of Richmond |
| 61st President of the Royal Society | |
| In office 1 December 2010 – 1 December 2015 |
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| Preceded by | The Lord Rees of Ludlow |
| Succeeded by | Venkatraman Ramakrishnan |
| 9th President of Rockefeller University | |
| In office 2003–2011 |
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| Preceded by | Arnold Levine |
| Succeeded by | Marc Tessier-Lavigne |
| Personal details | |
| Born |
Paul Maxime Nurse
25 January 1949 Norwich, Norfolk, England |
| Spouse |
Anne Teresa Talbott
(m. 1971) |
| Children | 2 daughters |
| Education |
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| Awards |
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| Scientific career | |
| Fields | |
| Institutions |
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| Thesis | The spatial and temporal organisation of amino acid pools in Candida utilis (1974) |
| Doctoral advisor | Anthony P. Sims |
| Doctoral students | Alison Woollard |
Sir Paul Maxime Nurse (born 25 January 1949) is a famous English geneticist. He was the former President of the Royal Society. He also served as the Chief Executive and Director of the Francis Crick Institute. In 2001, he won the Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine. He shared this award with Leland Hartwell and Tim Hunt. They were recognized for finding protein molecules that help control how cells divide. This process is called the cell cycle.
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Sir Paul Nurse's Early Life and Education
Paul Nurse was raised by his grandparents in North West London. He thought they were his parents. He went to Lyon Park school and Harrow County Grammar School. In 1970, he earned his first degree (BSc) in Biology from the University of Birmingham. He then received his PhD in 1973 from the University of East Anglia. His research was about a type of yeast called Candida utilis. After that, he did more research at other universities. These included the University of Bern, the University of Edinburgh, and the University of Sussex.
Sir Paul did not learn the truth about his birth until he was in his 50s. He found out that the person he thought was his sister was actually his mother. This discovery happened when he applied for a special document to live in the United States. His application was rejected because his birth certificate did not name his parents. When he got a full birth certificate, he learned the surprising truth.
Sir Paul Nurse's Career and Discoveries
After his PhD, Nurse continued his research at the University of Edinburgh. He worked there for six years, from 1973 to 1979.
In 1976, Nurse made an important discovery. He found a gene called cdc2 in a type of yeast. This gene controls key steps in the cell cycle. It helps cells move from a growth phase (G1) to preparing for DNA copying (S phase). It also controls the step where cells get ready to divide (G2) into actual division (mitosis). Later, in 1987, Nurse found a similar gene in humans, called Cdk1. This human gene also helps control cell division.
These genes work by turning on or off special proteins called cyclin dependent kinases (CDK). They do this by adding or removing tiny chemical groups called phosphate groups. This is like a switch that tells the cell when to move to the next stage of its cycle.
In 1984, Nurse joined the Imperial Cancer Research Fund (ICRF). This organization is now known as Cancer Research UK. He left in 1988 to lead the microbiology department at the University of Oxford. He returned to ICRF in 1993 as Director of Research. By 1996, he became the Director General. In 2003, he became president of Rockefeller University in New York City. He continued his work on the cell cycle there. In 2011, Nurse became the first Director of the Francis Crick Institute.
From 2010 to 2015, Sir Paul Nurse was the President of the Royal Society. This is a very old and respected scientific organization. He took over from astrophysicist Martin Rees.
Nurse believes that good scientists need to be very curious. They must have a strong desire to find answers to questions that interest them. He also says they need to be honest, self-critical, open-minded, and always question things.
Awards and Recognitions for Sir Paul Nurse
Sir Paul Nurse has received many awards and honors. Besides the Nobel Prize, he was elected a Fellow of the Royal Society in 1989. He also became a founding member of the Academy of Medical Sciences in 1998. In 1995, he received the Royal Medal. He was also honored with the Albert Lasker Award for Basic Medical Research in 1998.
In 1999, he was made a Knight Bachelor, which means he can use "Sir" before his name. He received the French Legion d'Honneur in 2002. In 2005, he was awarded the Copley Medal. This is the Royal Society's oldest and most prestigious award. In 2013, he received the Albert Einstein World Award of Science. In 2022, he was appointed to the Member of the Order of the Companions of Honour. In November 2022, he was also appointed to the Order of Merit.
Sir Paul Nurse has received over 60 honorary degrees from universities around the world. These include degrees from the University of Oxford and the University of Cambridge. In 2016, he became the Chancellor of the University of Bristol.
Sir Paul Nurse's Personal Life
Sir Paul Nurse married Anne Teresa Talbott in 1971. They have two daughters. Sarah works for a TV network, and Emily is a physicist. She works at University College London and CERN. Sir Paul describes himself as a skeptical agnostic. This means he questions things and doesn't claim to know if there is a God.
Sir Paul Nurse's Views on Science
Sir Paul Nurse believes scientists should speak up about science in public. He thinks they should challenge politicians who support ideas that are not based on scientific facts. He has said that good science needs passion and honesty. He also believes scientists should be open-minded and question everything.
Nurse has criticized those who oppose teaching natural selection or stem cell research. He also spoke out against those who deny anthropogenic climate change. He feels that scientists have a duty to explain why science is reliable. He stresses that science respects evidence and constant testing of ideas. He believes scientific leaders should expose "bunkum" or nonsense.
Books by Sir Paul Nurse
- What Is Life?: Five Great Ideas in Biology (2021)
See also
In Spanish: Paul Nurse para niños
