Peter Christopher Caldwell facts for kids
Peter Christopher Caldwell, a very important scientist and a Fellow of the Royal Society, was born on January 25, 1927. He passed away on June 1, 1979. He was a professor who studied animals (called zoology) at the University of Bristol.
Early Life and Education
Peter Caldwell was born in a place called Appleton, which is in Cheshire, England. He went to school at Ampleforth College, which was run by monks. Later, he earned a special scholarship to study Natural Science at Trinity College, Oxford, part of the famous Oxford University.
He married Phoebe-Ann Hill, whose father was Roderic Hill, a high-ranking officer in the air force. Peter and Phoebe-Ann had five children together. Outside of his science work, Peter was also a very talented piano player and knew a lot about music.
Amazing Discoveries in Science
After finishing his first studies, Peter Caldwell worked with Professor Cyril Norman Hinshelwood. He earned his PhD by studying how bacteria grow. This research led to big ideas about how cells make proteins. He discovered that a special code in DNA (called nucleic acids) tells cells exactly how to build proteins from smaller parts called amino acids.
In 1950, he moved to University College London. There, he worked with Archibald Hill, a scientist who had won a Nobel Prize. Together, they found new ways to measure pH, which tells us how acidic or basic something is.
Later, in 1955, Peter joined the Marine Biological Association's Laboratory in Plymouth. He studied the nerves of squid and the muscles of crabs. He wanted to understand how these parts get the energy they need for nerves to talk to each other and for muscles to move.
In 1960, Peter Caldwell started teaching at the University of Bristol in the Zoology Department. He began as a lecturer, then became a senior teacher in 1966, and finally a full professor in 1978. While at Bristol, he introduced a special chemical called EGTA. He used EGTA to make the first accurate measurements of tiny amounts of calcium inside muscle cells. This helped scientists understand how calcium helps muscles work.
Inspiring Future Scientists
Besides his own scientific work, Peter Caldwell also had a big impact through his students. Many of his PhD students went on to become very important scientists, especially in medical research. Some of these influential scientists include Alison Brading and Clive Ellory, who both became professors at Oxford University.
