Paul C.Zamecnik, Biologist Who Helped Discover an RNA Molecule, Dies at 96

Since we are learning quite a lot about DNA and RNA molecules in our biology class, I thought that this could be a good article for everybody to read. Paul C. Zamecnik died at the age of 96 due to cancer on October 27. So why is this molecular biologist so important? Well, according to the writer of this article, in 1956, Dr. Zamecnik and his colleagues Dr. Mahlon Hoagland and Dr. Mary Stepheson discovered a critical element of the protein synthesis pathway: the molecule that shuttles amino acids to the cell's protein factory, called the ribosome. There they are linked to create a chain that folds to form a protein. This newfound molecule was called transfer RNA, or tRNA. The discovery was a milestone in molecular biology. In 1996, Dr. Zamecnik received the Albert Lasker Award for Special Achievement in Medical Science and in 1991 he was also awarded the National Medal of Science. The article can be found on www.nytimes.com (under the science, posted on November 7 by Vicky Glaser).