Oswald Avery
Life and Career
Research
Degrees
Awards
Source - MLA Format
Thompson, Lisa. "Oswald Avery."NNDB: Tracking the entire world. N.p., n.d. Web. 19 June 2012. <http://www.nndb.com/people/203/00017
- Oswald Avery was a Canadian physician and medical researcher who is known for his discovery regarding DNA in 1944
- He is often regarded as the most deserving scientist that did not receive the Nobel Prize for his research
- He was among the first few molecular biologists and an extremely prominent figure in immunochemistry
- Avery was born in Halifax, Nova Scotia
- He practiced and studied medicine until 1907, after which he joined the Hoagland Laboratory in Brooklyn as a researcher
Research
- In 1913, Avery released a study of the tuberculosis bacteria, which attracted the attention of the director of the Rockefeller Institute Hospital. He was offered work here, and he accepted. He worked here until he retired in 1948
- Avery continued the research which was started by Frederick Griffith (1927)
- He worked with two other scientists to learn more about the science behind inheritance
- His team used techniques to remove organic compounds from bacteria and carried out a variety of further tests
- After years of work, they concluded that DNA was responsible for carrying genes in cells
- His research paved the way for future scientists Watson and Clark, who discovered the double helix structure of DNA
- Many scientists believe that Avery provided the platform for modern DNA research
Degrees
- AB degree – Colgate University – 1900
- M.D. degree – Columbia College of Physicians and Surgeons - 1904
Awards
- Fellow of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences – 1936
Source - MLA Format
Thompson, Lisa. "Oswald Avery."NNDB: Tracking the entire world. N.p., n.d. Web. 19 June 2012. <http://www.nndb.com/people/203/00017