Rita Levi-Montalcini facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Senator for Life
Rita Levi-Montalcini
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Levi-Montalcini during a visit to Lund, Sweden, 1986
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| Born |
Rita Levi
22 April 1909 |
| Died | 30 December 2012 (aged 103) Rome, Italy
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| Alma mater | University of Turin |
| Known for | Nerve growth factor |
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| Awards |
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| Scientific career | |
| Fields | Neurobiology |
| Institutions | Washington University in St. Louis |
| Member of the Senate of the Republic | |
| Life tenure 1 August 2001 – 30 December 2012 |
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| Appointed by | Carlo Azeglio Ciampi |
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Rita Levi-Montalcini (born Rita Levi; 22 April 1909 – 30 December 2012) was a brilliant Italian scientist who studied the brain and nerves. She was called a neurobiologist. In 1986, she won the Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine with her friend Stanley Cohen. They won for finding something very important called nerve growth factor (NGF).
From 2001 until she passed away, she was also a special member of the Italian Senate. This means she was a senator for life because of her amazing work in science. On her 100th birthday in 2009, she was the first Nobel Prize winner to reach that age! People celebrated her with a big party in Rome.
Contents
Growing Up and School
Rita Levi-Montalcini was born in Turin, Italy, on April 22, 1909. Her family was Jewish. She had a twin sister, Paola, who became a famous artist. Rita was the youngest of four children. Her mom, Adele, was a painter, and her dad, Adamo, was an engineer and mathematician.
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When Rita was a teenager, she thought about becoming a writer. But after a friend died from cancer, she decided to study medicine at the University of Turin. Her father first thought girls should focus on being wives and mothers. However, he later supported Rita's dream to become a doctor. At the university, a professor named Giuseppe Levi made her very interested in how the nervous system grows. She finished medical school with top honors in 1936. She stayed to work as Professor Levi's assistant. But her work at the university stopped because of new laws in Italy in 1938. These laws prevented Jews from having many jobs, including teaching at universities.
A Scientist During Wartime
During World War II, Rita couldn't work at the university. So, she made a small lab in her bedroom in Turin! There, she studied how nerve fibers grow in chicken embryos. She learned that nerve cells need certain "targets" to survive and grow. This early work was very important for her future discoveries. In 1943, her family had to leave Turin because of the war. They went to Florence and hid, using fake names, with help from kind friends. After Florence was freed in 1944, Rita used her medical skills to help people hurt in the war. This showed how dedicated she was to helping others, even in hard times. She returned to Turin in 1945 and continued her research.
Discovering Nerve Growth Factor
In 1946, Rita got a special invitation to work at Washington University School of Medicine in the United States. Professor Viktor Hamburger was impressed by her research. She stayed there for 30 years! In 1952, she made her most famous discovery. She found a special substance she called nerve growth factor (NGF). She found it by studying certain fast-growing cancer cells. This discovery showed that NGF is a key protein that helps nerve cells, called neurons, grow and stay healthy in our bodies. She worked with Hertha Meyer on this important experiment. Their findings were published in 1954.
What is Nerve Growth Factor (NGF)?
Rita found that when she put pieces of tumors into chick embryos, nerve fibers grew all around them very quickly. She described it like "rivulets of water flowing steadily over a bed of stones." This showed that the tumor was releasing a substance that made nerves grow. NGF is a vital protein. It helps neurons in our nervous system grow and survive. Without it, brain cells can die. This discovery changed how scientists understood the brain. It also showed that our nervous, immune, and endocrine systems are all connected. This was a huge step for understanding diseases that affect the brain and nerves.
Later Research and Leadership
Rita became a full professor in 1958. In 1962, she opened 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 work on nerves. She led important research centers in Italy for many years. Even after she officially retired in 1977, she kept working as a guest professor.
In 2002, Rita founded the European Brain Research Institute and became its president. Later in her career, Rita Levi-Montalcini also researched substances called gangliosides, which are important for nerve cells. She worked with a company to develop a medicine using these. However, over time, some patients using the medicine reported serious side effects, and it was eventually taken off the market in many countries. This showed how important it is to carefully test all medicines. In the 1990s, she also helped scientists understand the role of mast cells in the body. She found a natural compound called palmitoylethanolamide that helps control these cells. This discovery opened new doors for understanding how our bodies work and for developing new treatments.
A Life Senator for Italy
On August 1, 2001, the President of Italy, Carlo Azeglio Ciampi, made Rita a senator for life. This was a great honor for her amazing contributions to science. She continued to be active in public life. In 2006, at 97 years old, she attended meetings in the Senate. She often supported the government of Romano Prodi. Some politicians criticized her because her vote was very important for the government's small majority.
Her Personal Life
Rita Levi-Montalcini had an older brother, Gino, who was a famous Italian architect. She also had two sisters, Anna and her twin, Paola, the artist. Rita never married and did not have children. She once said that her life was full of wonderful relationships, work, and interests, and she never felt lonely. She stayed involved in science and public life even when she was very old. Rita Levi-Montalcini passed away at her home in Rome on December 30, 2012, at the age of 103. Many people shared their sadness and praised her. The Mayor of Rome said it was a great loss "for all of humanity." Italy's prime minister, Mario Monti, admired her "charismatic and tenacious" spirit.
Her legacy continues to inspire. Many awards and foundations are named after her, helping young women in science and research.
Awards and Honors
Rita Levi-Montalcini received many important awards and honors throughout her life:
- In 1966, she became a Fellow of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences.
- In 1968, she was the tenth woman 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 was awarded the Louisa Gross Horwitz Prize from Columbia University.
- In 1985, she received the Ralph W. Gerard Prize in Neuroscience.
- In 1986, she was elected to the American Philosophical Society.
- In 1986, she and Stanley Cohen won 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 America's highest science honor.
- In 1995, she became a Foreign Member of the Royal Society.
- In 1999, she was named a Goodwill Ambassador for the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO).
- In 2001, she was nominated senator for life by the Italian president Carlo Azeglio Ciampi.
- In 2009, she received the Leonardo da Vinci Award from the European Academy of Sciences.
Other Recognitions
- In April 2016, a new type of orchid was named after her: 'Ophrys × montalciniae'.
- The videogame Elite Dangerous has named several space stations after her.
- The card game "Endowed Chairs: Neurology" includes Levi-Montalcini as one of its important neurologists.
- Poet Jessy Randall included a poem about Levi-Montalcini in her 2025 collection, The Path of Most Resistance.
See also
In Spanish: Rita Levi-Montalcini para niños
- Timeline of women in science
- List of Jewish Nobel laureates
