Robert Mortimer (1927–2007)
was an
American
American(s) may refer to:
* American, something of, from, or related to the United States of America, commonly known as the "United States" or "America"
** Americans, citizens and nationals of the United States of America
** American ancestry, pe ...
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 ...
who was a pioneer of introducing single-celled
yeasts as a model organism to study the operation of
genes
In biology, the word gene (from , ; "...Wilhelm Johannsen coined the word gene to describe the Mendelian units of heredity..." meaning ''generation'' or ''birth'' or ''gender'') can have several different meanings. The Mendelian gene is a ba ...
and
chromosomes.
Mortimer was a professor of molecular and cell biology at the
University of California, Berkeley. His service to the field was recognized with the
George W. Beadle Award The George W. Beadle Award is a scientific prize given by the Genetics Society of America to individuals who have made “outstanding contributions” to Genetics. The Award was established in 1999 and named in honor of George Wells Beadle, who won ...
in 2002.
Mortimer died on August 10, 2007, in
Berkeley, California at age 79.
References
American molecular biologists
University of California, Berkeley faculty
1927 births
2007 deaths
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