Rita Levi-Montalcini facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Rita Levi-Montalcini
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Rita Levi-Montalcini, c. 1975. Image courtesy of the Bernard Becker Medical Library, Washington University School of Medicine.
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| Born | 22 April 1909 |
| Died | 30 December 2012 (aged 103) |
| Nationality | Italian |
| Citizenship | Italy, United States |
| Alma mater | University of Turin |
| Known for | Nerve growth factor |
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| Scientific career | |
| Fields | Neurobiology |
| Institutions | Washington University in St. Louis |
Rita Levi-Montalcini (born April 22, 1909 – died December 30, 2012) was a famous Italian scientist. She won the Nobel Prize in 1986 for her amazing work in studying the brain and nerves.
Together with her friend and colleague Stanley Cohen, she discovered something called nerve growth factor (NGF). This is a special protein that helps nerve cells grow and survive. From 2001 until she passed away, she was also a Senator for Life in the Italian Senate. This was a special honor because of her important scientific discoveries. She lived to be 103 years old!
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Early Life and Education
Rita Levi-Montalcini was born in Turin, Italy, on April 22, 1909. Her family was Jewish and had lived in Italy for a very long time. She was the youngest of four children and had a twin sister named Paola. Her mother, Adele Montalcini, was an artist, and her father, Adamo Levi, was an electrical engineer and mathematician.
When she was a teenager, Rita thought about becoming a writer. But after a close family friend got very sick with cancer, she decided to study medicine instead. Her father wasn't sure about his daughters going to college. He worried it would stop them from being good wives and mothers. But he eventually supported Rita's dream to become a doctor.
At the University of Turin Medical School, a professor named Giuseppe Levi got her interested in how the nervous system develops. She graduated with top honors in 1936. She stayed at the university to work as Levi's assistant. However, her career was stopped in 1938 when new laws were made in Italy that prevented Jewish people from working in universities.
Her Amazing Scientific Work
Because of the new laws, Rita lost her job at the university. During World War II, she set up a small laboratory in her own bedroom in Turin. There, she studied how nerve fibers grow in chicken embryos. She found that nerve cells die if they don't have "targets" to connect to. This early work was very important for her later discoveries.
When the Germans took over Italy in 1943, her family had to leave Turin and hide in Florence. They used fake names to stay safe during the Holocaust. After Florence was freed in 1944, Rita helped the Allied health service as a doctor. Her family returned to Turin in 1945.
Discovering Nerve Growth Factor (NGF)
In 1946, Rita got a special research chance at Washington University in St. Louis in the United States. A professor there, Viktor Hamburger, was interested in her earlier research. She showed him the results of her chicken embryo experiments. Hamburger was so impressed that he offered her a job, and she stayed there for 30 years!
It was at Washington University in 1952 that she made her most important discovery. She was studying certain cancer tissues that made nerve cells grow incredibly fast. She put small pieces of these tumors into chick embryos. She saw a huge number of nerve fibers growing around the tumor cells, like a "halo." She described it as "like rivulets of water flowing steadily over a bed of stones." This showed her that the tumor was releasing a special substance that made nerves grow. This substance was later named nerve growth factor (NGF).
Rita became a full professor in 1958. In 1962, she started another lab in Rome, Italy, and split her time between Rome and St. Louis. She was the first woman to win the Max Weinstein Award in 1963 for her important work in nerve research.
After retiring in 1977, she continued to work as a guest professor. She also founded the European Brain Research Institute in 2002 and was its president.
Later Discoveries and the Nobel Prize
In the 1990s, Rita Levi-Montalcini was one of the first scientists to point out how important mast cells are in human health. She also found a natural compound called palmitoylethanolamide that helps control these cells. This discovery opened up new research into how our bodies work.
In 1986, Rita Levi-Montalcini and Stanley Cohen won the Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine. They received this huge honor for their discovery of nerve growth factor (NGF). This protein helps nerve cells grow and survive, which is vital for our bodies.
Her Political Role
On August 1, 2001, the President of Italy, Carlo Azeglio Ciampi, made Rita Levi-Montalcini a Senator for Life. This meant she would be a senator in the Italian government for the rest of her life because of her great achievements.
Even at 97 years old, she attended important meetings in the Senate. She supported the government of Romano Prodi. Some politicians criticized her because her vote was often very important for the government to pass laws, especially when their support in the Senate was very close.
Personal Life
Rita Levi-Montalcini's father, Adamo Levi, was an electrical engineer and mathematician, and her mother, Adele Montalcini, was a painter. Her family had deep Jewish roots in Italy.
Rita had an older brother named Gino, who was a well-known architect and professor. She also had two sisters: Anna and her twin, Paola, who was a famous artist.
Rita Levi-Montalcini never married and did not have children. In an interview, she said she never regretted this choice. She felt her life was full of wonderful relationships, work, and interests, and she never felt lonely. She passed away at her home in Rome on December 30, 2012, at the age of 103.
Many people honored her after her death. The Mayor of Rome said it was a great loss for "all of humanity." Italy's Prime Minister praised her strong character and her dedication to what she believed in. Even the Vatican spokesman said she was an "inspiring" example for Italy and the world.
Awards and Honors
Rita Levi-Montalcini received many awards and honors throughout her long life for her scientific contributions:
- In 1966, she became a member of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences.
- In 1968, she was the tenth woman ever elected to the United States National Academy of Sciences.
- In 1970, she received the Golden Plate Award from the American Academy of Achievement.
- In 1974, she became a member of the Pontifical Academy of Sciences.
- In 1983, she won the Louisa Gross Horwitz Prize from Columbia University.
- In 1985, she received the Ralph W. Gerard Prize in Neuroscience.
- In 1986, she and Stanley Cohen were awarded the Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine and the Albert Lasker Award for Basic Medical Research.
- In 1987, she received the National Medal of Science, which is the highest science honor in America.
- In 1995, she was made a Foreign Member of the Royal Society (ForMemRS) in the UK.
- In 1999, she was named a Goodwill Ambassador for the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO).
- In 2001, she was appointed Senator-for-life by the Italian President.
Other Recognitions
- In 2016, a new type of wild orchid was named after her: 'Ophrys × montalciniae'.
- The videogame Elite Dangerous has named several space stations after her.
Images for kids
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Rita Levi-Montalcini in 2009
See also
