Giuseppe Attardi (September 14, 1923 – April 5, 2008) was an American

molecular biologist 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 physi ...

Italian Italian(s) may refer to: * Anything of, from, or related to the people of Italy over the centuries ** Italians, an ethnic group or simply a citizen of the Italian Republic or Italian Kingdom ** Italian language, a Romance language *** Regional Ita ...

origin, a professor at the

California Institute of Technology The California Institute of Technology (branded as Caltech or CIT)The university itself only spells its short form as "Caltech"; the institution considers other spellings such a"Cal Tech" and "CalTech" incorrect. The institute is also occasional ...

Pasadena Pasadena ( ) is a city in Los Angeles County, California, northeast of downtown Los Angeles. It is the most populous city and the primary cultural center of the San Gabriel Valley. Old Pasadena is the city's original commercial district. Its ...

. He made pioneering studies on the human

mitochondria A mitochondrion (; ) is an organelle found in the Cell (biology), cells of most Eukaryotes, such as animals, plants and Fungus, fungi. Mitochondria have a double lipid bilayer, membrane structure and use aerobic respiration to generate adenosi ...

l structure and function.Thomas H. Maugh II, "Giuseppe Attardi, 84; Caltech geneticist linked mitochondrial DNA and aging"
– ''Los Angeles Times (April 10, 2008)'' (Retrieved on May 24, 2008)
– ''Aarp Bulletin'' (Retrieved on May 24, 2008) He received the

Gairdner Foundation International Award The Canada Gairdner International Award is given annually by the Gairdner Foundation at a special dinner to five individuals for outstanding discoveries or contributions to medical science. Receipt of the Gairdner is traditionally considered a p ...

in 1998 for his contributions to medical science"Giuseppe Attardi"
– ''The Gairdner Foundation'' (Retrieved on May 24, 2008) and was selected jointly with Douglas C. Wallace for the 2000 Passano Award "for their landmark contributions to the mitochondrial genome project and their development of innovative methods for studying mitochondrial genetics and human disease". He was a member of the

United States National Academy of Sciences The National Academy of Sciences (NAS) is a United States nonprofit, non-governmental organization. NAS is part of the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine, along with the National Academy of Engineering (NAE) and the Nati ...

from 1984.

References

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External links

Anne Chomyn, "Giuseppe Attardi", Biographical Memoirs of the National Academy of Sciences (2015)
{{DEFAULTSORT:Attardi, Giuseppe 1923 births 2008 deaths American geneticists Members of the United States National Academy of Sciences