For related information, see the articles on History of RNA Biology, History of Molecular Biology, and History of Genetics.
Name | Dates | Institution | Awards |
---|---|---|---|
Abelson, John | born 1938 | University of California, San Francisco | 1985 National Academy of Sciences (US) |
Altman, Sidney | 1939–2022 | Yale University | 1989 Nobel Prize in Chemistry, 1990 National Academy of Sciences (US) |
Ambros, Victor | University of Massachusetts Medical School | 2007 National Academy of Sciences (US), 2008 Lasker Award, 2009 Horwitz Prize | |
Atkins, John | University College Cork | 2007 Royal Irish Academy Gold Medal Award | |
Baltimore, David | born 1938 | California Institute of Technology | 1974 National Academy of Science (US), 1975 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine |
Barré-Sinoussi, Françoise | born 1947 | Pasteur Institute | 2008 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine |
Bartel, David | Massachusetts Institute of Technology | 2005 National Academy of Science Award in Molecular Biology | |
Baulcombe, David | born 1952 | Cambridge University | 2008 Lasker Award |
Belfort, Marlene | born 1945 | Wadsworth Center | 1999 National Academy of Sciences (US) |
Benzer, Seymour | 1921–2007 | California Institute of Technology | 1961 National Academy of Science (US), 1971 Lasker Award, 1976 Horwitz Prize |
Birnstiel, Max | 1933–2014 | University of Zurich | 1983 National Academy of Science (US) |
Blackburn, Elizabeth | born 1948 | University of California, San Francisco | 1993 National Academy of Sciences (US), 2006 Lasker Award, 2007 Horwitz Prize, 2009 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine |
Breaker, Ronald R. | born 1964 | Yale University | 2006 National Academy of Science Award in Molecular Biology |
Brenner, Sydney | 1927–2019 | Salk Institute | 1971 & 2000 Lasker Award, 1977 National Academy of Science (US), 2002 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine |
Brown, Donald D. | Carnegie Institution for Science | 1973 National Academy of Science (US), 1985 Horwitz Prize | |
Bruening, George | University of California, Davis | 1992 National Academy of Science (US) | |
Burge, Christopher | born 1968 | Massachusetts Institute of Technology | 2001 Overton Prize, 2003 Searle Scholar Award |
Carthew, Richard | born 1956 | Northwestern University | 1995 Pew Biomedical Scholar |
Caruthers, Marvin | born 1940 | University of Colorado, Boulder | 1994 National Academy of Science (US) |
Cech, Thomas | born 1947 | University of Colorado, Boulder | 1987 National Academy of Sciences (US), 1988 Lasker Award, 1988 Horwitz Prize, 1989 Nobel Prize in Chemistry |
Chambon, Pierre | born 1931 | Institute for Genetics and Cell and Molecular Biology, Strasbourg | 1985 National Academy of Science (US), 1999 Horwitz Prize |
Crick, Francis | 1916–2004 | Salk Institute | 1960 Lasker Award, 1962 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine |
Dahlberg, James E. | University of Wisconsin, Madison | 1996 National Academy of Sciences (US) | |
Darnell, James | born 1930 | Rockefeller University | 1973 National Academy of Science (US), 2002 Lasker Award |
Darnell, Robert | 1957 | Rockefeller University | 2010 National Academy of Medicine (US), 2014 National Academy of Science (US) |
Doolittle, W. Ford | 1942 | Dalhousie University | 2002 National Academy of Science (US) |
Doudna, Jennifer | born 1964 | University of California, Berkeley | 2002 National Academy of Sciences (US), 2020 Nobel Prize in Chemistry (US) |
Dulbecco, Renato | 1914-2012 | CNR Institute of Biomedical Technologies (Italy) | 1961 National Academy of Science (US), 1964 Lasker Award, 1975 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine |
Feigon, Juli | University of California, Los Angeles | 2009 National Academy of Science (US) | |
Fire, Andrew | born 1959 | Stanford University | 2004 National Academy of Science (US), 2006 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine |
Gall, Joseph G. | born 1928 | Carnegie Institution | 1972 National Academy of Science (US), 2006 Lasker Award, 2007 Horwitz Prize |
Gallo, Robert | born 1937 | National Institutes of Health (US) | 1982 & 1986 Lasker Award |
Gilbert, Walter | born 1932 | Harvard University | 1976 National Academy of Sciences (US), 1979 Lasker Award, 1979 Horwitz Prize, 1980 Nobel Prize in Chemistry |
Greider, Carol | born 1961 | Johns Hopkins University | 2003 National Academy of Sciences (US), 2006 Lasker Award, 2007 Horwitz Prize, 2009 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine |
Guthrie, Christine | University of California, San Francisco | 1993 National Academy of Science (US) | |
Hannon, Greg | Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory | 2007 National Academy of Science Award in Molecular Biology | |
Henkin, Tina M. | Ohio State University | 2006 National Academy of Science Award in Molecular Biology | |
Hoagland, Mahlon | 1921–2009 | Worcester Foundation for Biomedical Research | 1984 National Academy of Sciences (US) |
Holley, Robert | 1922–1993 | Cornell University | 1965 Lasker Award, 1968 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine |
Hurwitz, Jerard | Sloan-Kettering Institute | 1974 National Academy of Sciences (US) | |
Jacob, François | 1920–2013 | Pasteur Institute | 1965 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine, 1969 National Academy of Science (US) |
Joyce, Gerald | born 1956 | Scripps Research Institute | 2001 National Academy of Sciences (US) |
Kaesberg, Paul | University of Wisconsin, Madison | 1991 National Academy of Sciences (US) | |
Khorana, H. Gobind | 1922–2011 | Massachusetts Institute of Technology | 1966 National Academy of Sciences (US), 1968 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine, 1968 Horwitz Prize, 1968 Lasker Award |
Klug, Aaron | 1926–2018 | Medical Research Council (UK) | 1981 Horwitz Prize, 1982 Nobel Prize in Chemistry, 1984 National Academy of Science (US) |
Kornberg, Roger | born 1947 | Stanford University | 1993 National Academy of Sciences (US), 2006 Nobel Prize in Chemistry, 2006 Horwitz Prize |
Lambowitz, Alan | University of Texas, Austin | 2004 National Academy of Sciences (US) | |
Maquat, Lynne | born 1952 | University of Rochester | 2011 National Academy of Sciences (US), 2015 Canada Gairdner International Award, 2017 National Academy of Medicine (US), 2018 Wiley Prize in Biomedical Sciences |
Mello, Craig | born 1960 | University of Massachusetts Medical School | 2006 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine |
Montagnier, Luc | 1932-2022 | Pasteur Institute | 1986 Lasker Award, 2008 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine |
Moore, Peter | born 1939 | Yale University | National Academy of Sciences (US) |
Nirenberg, Marshall | 1927–2010 | National Institutes of Health (USA) | 1967 National Academy of Sciences (US), 1968 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine, 1968 Lasker Award, 1968 Horwitz Prize |
Noller, Harry | born 1939 | University of California, Santa Cruz | 1992 National Academy of Sciences (US) |
Nomura, Masayasu | 1927-2011 | University of California, Irvine | 1978 National Academy of Sciences (US) |
Ochoa, Severo | 1905–1993 | New York University | 1959 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine |
Orgel, Leslie | 1927–2007 | Salk Institute | 1990 National Academy of Sciences (US) |
Pace, Norman R. | University of Colorado, Boulder | 1991 National Academy of Science (US) | |
Ptashne, Mark | Sloan-Kettering Institute | 1985 Horwitz Prize, 1997 Lasker Award | |
Ramakrishnan, Venkatraman | born 1952 | Medical Research Council (UK) | 2004 National Academy of Sciences (US), 2009 Nobel Prize in Chemistry |
Roberts, Richard | born 1943 | New England Biolabs | 1993 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine |
Rich, Alexander | 1924-2015 | Massachusetts Institute of Technology | 1970 National Academy of Sciences (US) |
Roeder, Robert | born 1942 | Rockefeller University | 1988 National Academy of Science (US), 1999 Horwitz Prize, 2003 Lasker Prize |
Rosbash, Michael | Brandeis University | 2003 National Academy of Science (US), 2017 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine (US) | |
Ruvkun, Gary | Harvard University | 2008 Lasker Award, 2008 National Academy of Sciences, 2009 Horwitz Prize | |
Schimmel, Paul | Scripps Research Institute | 1990 National Academy of Sciences (US) | |
Sharp, Philip | born 1944 | Massachusetts Institute of Technology | 1983 National Academy of Science (US), 1988 Lasker Award, 1988 Horwitz Prize, 1993 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine |
Shatkin, Aaron | Rutgers University | 1981 National Academy of Science (US) | |
Singer, Maxine | born 1931 | Carnegie Institution of Washington | 1979 National Academy of Sciences (US), 1992 National Medal of Science (US) |
Söll, Dieter | born 1935 | Yale University | 1997 National Academy of Sciences (US) |
Spiegelman, Sol | 1914–1983 | Columbia University | 1974 Lasker Award |
Steitz, Joan | born 1941 | Yale University | 1983 National Academy of Sciences (US) |
Steitz, Thomas | 1940-2018 | Yale University | 1990 National Academy of Sciences (US), 2009 Nobel Prize in Chemistry |
Stevens, Audrey | 1932-2010 | Oak Ridge National Laboratory | 1998 National Academy of Science (US) |
Szostak, Jack | born 1952 | Harvard University | 1998 National Academy of Sciences (US), 2006 Lasker Award, 2009 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine |
Temin, Howard | 1934–1994 | University of Wisconsin, Madison | 1975 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine |
Tinoco, Ignacio | 1930–2016 | University of California, Berkeley | 1985 National Academy of Sciences (US) |
Tjian, Robert | born 1949 | University of California, Berkeley | 1991 National Academy of Sciences (US), 1999 Horwitz Prize |
Todd, Alexander | 1907–1997 | University of Cambridge | 1957 Nobel Prize in Chemistry |
Turner, Douglas | University of Rochester | 2011 Gordon Hammes Lectureship | |
Uhlenbeck, Olke | Northwestern University | 1993 National Academy of Sciences (US) | |
Watson, James | born 1928 | Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory | 1960 Lasker Award, 1962 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine, 1962 National Academy of Science (US) |
Yanofsky, Charles | 1925–2018 | Stanford University | 1966 National Academy of Science (US), 1971 Lasker Award, 1976 Horwitz Prize |
Yonath, Ada | born 1939 | Weizmann Institute of Science | 2003 National Academy of Sciences (US), 2005 Horwitz Prize, 2009 Nobel Prize in Chemistry |
Zamecnik, Paul | 1912–2009 | Worcester Foundation for Biomedical Research | 1968 National Academy of Sciences (US), 1996 Lasker Award |
Zinder, Norton | 1928–2012 | Rockefeller University | 1969 National Academy of Science (US) |
Biology – The natural science that studies life. Areas of focus include structure, function, growth, origin, evolution, distribution, and taxonomy.
Molecular biology is the branch of biology that seeks to understand the molecular basis of biological activity in and between cells, including biomolecular synthesis, modification, mechanisms, and interactions. The study of chemical and physical structure of biological macromolecules is known as molecular biology.
Marine biology is the scientific study of the biology of marine life, organisms in the sea. Given that in biology many phyla, families and genera have some species that live in the sea and others that live on land, marine biology classifies species based on the environment rather than on taxonomy.
In biology, phylogenetics is the study of the evolutionary history and relationships among or within groups of organisms. These relationships are determined by phylogenetic inference methods that focus on observed heritable traits, such as DNA sequences, protein amino acid sequences, or morphology. The result of such an analysis is a phylogenetic tree—a diagram containing a hypothesis of relationships that reflects the evolutionary history of a group of organisms.
Biological anthropology, also known as physical anthropology, is a scientific discipline concerned with the biological and behavioral aspects of human beings, their extinct hominin ancestors, and related non-human primates, particularly from an evolutionary perspective. This subfield of anthropology systematically studies human beings from a biological perspective.
Biological systematics is the study of the diversification of living forms, both past and present, and the relationships among living things through time. Relationships are visualized as evolutionary trees. Phylogenies have two components: branching order and branch length. Phylogenetic trees of species and higher taxa are used to study the evolution of traits and the distribution of organisms (biogeography). Systematics, in other words, is used to understand the evolutionary history of life on Earth.
In biology, taxonomy is the scientific study of naming, defining (circumscribing) and classifying groups of biological organisms based on shared characteristics. Organisms are grouped into taxa and these groups are given a taxonomic rank; groups of a given rank can be aggregated to form a more inclusive group of higher rank, thus creating a taxonomic hierarchy. The principal ranks in modern use are domain, kingdom, phylum, class, order, family, genus, and species. The Swedish botanist Carl Linnaeus is regarded as the founder of the current system of taxonomy, as he developed a ranked system known as Linnaean taxonomy for categorizing organisms and binomial nomenclature for naming organisms.
Zoology is the branch of biology that studies the animal kingdom, including the structure, embryology, evolution, classification, habits, and distribution of all animals, both living and extinct, and how they interact with their ecosystems. The term is derived from Ancient Greek ζῷον, zōion ('animal'), and λόγος, logos.
Computational biology refers to the use of data analysis, mathematical modeling and computational simulations to understand biological systems and relationships. An intersection of computer science, biology, and big data, the field also has foundations in applied mathematics, chemistry, and genetics. It differs from biological computing, a subfield of computer engineering which uses bioengineering to build computers.
Natural history is a domain of inquiry involving organisms, including animals, fungi, and plants, in their natural environment, leaning more towards observational than experimental methods of study. A person who studies natural history is called a naturalist or natural historian.
An academic discipline or field of study is a branch of knowledge, taught and researched as part of higher education. A scholar's discipline is commonly defined by the university faculties and learned societies to which they belong and the academic journals in which they publish research.
The history of biology traces the study of the living world from ancient to modern times. Although the concept of biology as a single coherent field arose in the 19th century, the biological sciences emerged from traditions of medicine and natural history reaching back to Ayurveda, ancient Egyptian medicine and the works of Aristotle and Galen in the ancient Greco-Roman world. This ancient work was further developed in the Middle Ages by Muslim physicians and scholars such as Avicenna. During the European Renaissance and early modern period, biological thought was revolutionized in Europe by a renewed interest in empiricism and the discovery of many novel organisms. Prominent in this movement were Vesalius and Harvey, who used experimentation and careful observation in physiology, and naturalists such as Linnaeus and Buffon who began to classify the diversity of life and the fossil record, as well as the development and behavior of organisms. Antonie van Leeuwenhoek revealed by means of microscopy the previously unknown world of microorganisms, laying the groundwork for cell theory. The growing importance of natural theology, partly a response to the rise of mechanical philosophy, encouraged the growth of natural history.
Evolutionary biology is the subfield of biology that studies the evolutionary processes that produced the diversity of life on Earth. It is also defined as the study of the history of life forms on Earth. Evolution holds that all species are related and gradually change over generations. In a population, the genetic variations affect the phenotypes of an organism. These changes in the phenotypes will be an advantage to some organisms, which will then be passed onto their offspring. Some examples of evolution in species over many generations are the peppered moth and flightless birds. In the 1930s, the discipline of evolutionary biology emerged through what Julian Huxley called the modern synthesis of understanding, from previously unrelated fields of biological research, such as genetics and ecology, systematics, and paleontology.
Morphology is a branch of biology dealing with the study of the form and structure of organisms and their specific structural features.
The philosophy of biology is a subfield of philosophy of science, which deals with epistemological, metaphysical, and ethical issues in the biological and biomedical sciences. Although philosophers of science and philosophers generally have long been interested in biology, philosophy of biology only emerged as an independent field of philosophy in the 1960s and 1970s, associated with the research of David Hull. Philosophers of science then began paying increasing attention to biology, from the rise of Neodarwinism in the 1930s and 1940s to the discovery of the structure of DNA in 1953 to more recent advances in genetic engineering. Other key ideas include the reduction of all life processes to biochemical reactions, and the incorporation of psychology into a broader neuroscience.
Fellowship of the Royal Society of Edinburgh (FRSE) is an award granted to individuals that the Royal Society of Edinburgh, Scotland's national academy of science and letters, judged to be "eminently distinguished in their subject". This society received a royal charter in 1783, allowing for its expansion.
The European Molecular Biology Organization (EMBO) is a professional, non-profit organization of more than 1,800 life scientists. Its goal is to promote research in life science and enable international exchange between scientists. It co-funds courses, workshops and conferences, publishes five scientific journals and supports individual scientists. The organization was founded in 1964 and is a founding member of the Initiative for Science in Europe. As of 2022 the Director of EMBO is Fiona Watt, a stem cell researcher, professor at King's College London and a group leader at the European Molecular Biology Laboratory.
Biology is the scientific study of life. It is a natural science with a broad scope but has several unifying themes that tie it together as a single, coherent field. For instance, all organisms are made up of cells that process hereditary information encoded in genes, which can be transmitted to future generations. Another major theme is evolution, which explains the unity and diversity of life. Energy processing is also important to life as it allows organisms to move, grow, and reproduce. Finally, all organisms are able to regulate their own internal environments.
Animals are multicellular, eukaryotic organisms in the biological kingdom Animalia. With few exceptions, animals consume organic material, breathe oxygen, are able to move, can reproduce sexually, and go through an ontogenetic stage in which their body consists of a hollow sphere of cells, the blastula, during embryonic development. Over 1.5 million living animal species have been described—of which around 1 million are insects—but it has been estimated there are over 7 million animal species in total. Animals range in length from 8.5 micrometres (0.00033 in) to 33.6 metres (110 ft). They have complex interactions with each other and their environments, forming intricate food webs. The scientific study of animals is known as zoology.