Edwin Chargaff

Born:

August 11, 1905, Czernowitz, Austria-Hungary (now Chernivtsi, Ukraine)

Died:

June 15, 2002, New York City, USA

Nationality:

Austrian, American

Profession(s):

Biochemist, Professor of Biochemistry

Early Life and Education

• Born to a Jewish family in Czernowitz.
• Studied chemistry in Vienna, Austria, earning a PhD in 1928.
• Postdoctoral work at Yale University (1928-1930) and in Berlin (1930-1933).

Career and Major Achievements

• Joined Columbia University in 1935, where he remained for his entire career.
• Professor of Biochemistry at Columbia University.
• Discovered Chargaff's rules, which state that DNA from any cell should have a 1:1 ratio (base Pair Rule) of pyrimidine and purine bases and, more specifically, that the amount of guanine is equal to cytosine and the amount of adenine is equal to thymine.
• His work significantly contributed to the discovery of the DNA double helix structure by James Watson and Francis Crick.
• Advocated for ethical considerations in science, particularly regarding genetic engineering.

Notable Works

• Significant research and numerous publications on the composition of DNA.
• Authored several books, including "Heraclitean Fire: Sketches from a Life Before Nature" (1978), a collection of essays on science, philosophy, and culture.

Legacy and Impact

Edwin Chargaff's meticulous research on the composition of DNA, culminating in Chargaff's rules, proved crucial to deciphering the structure of DNA. While an Edwin Chargaff biography often highlights his significant contributions to molecular biology, it's also important to note his later critical perspectives on the rapid advancements in genetic engineering.

Awards and Recognition

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