- In full:
- Kary Banks Mullis
- Born:
- December 28, 1944, Lenoir, North Carolina, U.S.
- Died:
- August 7, 2019, Newport Beach, California (aged 74)
- Awards And Honors:
- Nobel Prize (1993)
- Inventions:
- polymerase chain reaction
- Subjects Of Study:
- DNA
- polymerase chain reaction
Kary Mullis
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Who was Kary Mullis?
Kary Mullis, born on December 28, 1944, and deceased August 7, 2019, was an American biochemist who won the 1993 Nobel Prize in Chemistry for inventing the polymerase chain reaction (PCR). PCR is a technique that allows a specific stretch of DNA to be copied billions of times in a few hours, enabling investigators to obtain large quantities of DNA for various experiments and procedures in molecular biology, forensic analysis, evolutionary biology, and medical diagnostics. After receiving a doctorate in biochemistry, Mullis briefly left science to pursue writing before holding research posts at various universities. In 1979, he joined Cetus Corp., where he carried out his prizewinning research.
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What is Kary Mullis best known for?
Kary Mullis was an American biochemist best known for inventing the polymerase chain reaction (PCR) in 1983. PCR is a technique that allows a specific stretch of DNA to be copied billions of times in a few hours, enabling investigators to obtain large quantities of DNA required for various experiments and procedures in molecular biology, forensic analysis, evolutionary biology, and medical diagnostics. Mullis won the Nobel Prize in Chemistry in 1993 for his invention. After receiving a doctorate in biochemistry, Mullis worked at Cetus Corp., where he carried out his prizewinning research. Mullis was also known for his eccentricities and combative personality.
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What is the polymerase chain reaction (PCR) technique that he invented?
Kary Mullis, an American biochemist, won the 1993 Nobel Prize in Chemistry for inventing the polymerase chain reaction (PCR). PCR is a technique that rapidly creates numerous copies of a specific DNA segment, enabling investigators to obtain large quantities of DNA for experiments and procedures in various fields.
The PCR process involves repeated cycles of denaturation, annealing, and elongation. It utilizes a template DNA, primers, free nucleotides, and a DNA polymerase to replicate the desired DNA sequence. PCR has a wide range of applications, including medical diagnostics, genetic testing, and forensic science.
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How did PCR change the field of biology and medicine?
PCR, invented by Kary Mullis in 1983, revolutionized biology and medicine by enabling rapid and accurate DNA replication. This technique allows for the creation of billions of copies of a specific DNA segment in mere hours, drastically reducing the time and effort previously required for DNA amplification.
PCR's impact spans across various fields. In medical diagnostics, it facilitates the detection of pathogens and genetic disorders like sickle cell anemia. Forensic science utilizes PCR to generate DNA profiles from trace samples found at crime scenes. Evolutionary biologists employ it to study DNA from ancient remains. The technique also serves as a crucial tool in DNA sequencing.
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Why did Kary Mullis receive the Nobel Prize in Chemistry?
Kary Mullis, an American biochemist, received the 1993 Nobel Prize in Chemistry for inventing the polymerase chain reaction (PCR). PCR is a simple technique that allows a specific stretch of DNA to be copied billions of times in a few hours. This technique enables investigators to obtain large quantities of DNA required for various experiments and procedures in molecular biology, forensic analysis, evolutionary biology, and medical diagnostics. Before PCR, generating copies of recombinant DNA fragments was time-consuming and labor-intensive.
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What other interests or contributions did Kary Mullis have in science or outside of it?
Kary Mullis, an American biochemist and Nobel laureate, had interests and contributions that extended beyond his invention of the polymerase chain reaction (PCR). After earning his doctorate in biochemistry, he briefly explored writing fiction and worked at a bakery before returning to science.
Mullis was known for his eccentricities, including his skepticism towards climate change and the link between HIV and AIDS. He claimed that his experiences with LSD influenced his vision of PCR. After leaving Cetus Corp, where he invented PCR, he took up surfing. He also worked as a freelance consultant and was director of molecular biology for Xytronyx, Inc..
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Kary Mullis (born December 28, 1944, Lenoir, North Carolina, U.S.—died August 7, 2019, Newport Beach, California) was an American biochemist, cowinner of the 1993 Nobel Prize for Chemistry for his invention of the polymerase chain reaction (PCR), a simple technique that allows a specific stretch of DNA to be copied billions of times in a few hours.
Career
After receiving a doctorate in biochemistry from the University of California, Berkeley, in 1973, Mullis departed from science, instead pursuing an interest in writing fiction. He then spent about two years working at a bakery. He subsequently held research posts at various universities. In 1979 he joined Cetus Corp., a California biotechnology firm, where he carried out his prizewinning research. In 1986, he parted ways with the company, after being awarded a $10,000 bonus for his idea; Cetus held the rights to PCR—rights that the company later sold for $300 million. From 1986 to 1988 Mullis was director of molecular biology for Xytronyx, Inc., in San Diego, California; thereafter he worked as a freelance consultant.
Invention of PCR
Mullis developed PCR in 1983. Earlier methods for obtaining a specific sequence of DNA in quantities sufficient for study were difficult, time-consuming, and expensive. PCR uses four ingredients: the double-stranded DNA segment to be copied, called the template DNA; two oligonucleotide primers (short segments of single-stranded DNA, each of which is complementary to a short sequence on one of the strands of the template DNA); nucleotides, the chemical building blocks that make up DNA; and a polymerase enzyme that copies the template DNA by joining the free nucleotides in the correct order. These ingredients are heated, causing the template DNA to separate into two strands. The mixture is cooled, allowing the primers to attach themselves to the complementary sites on the template strands. The polymerase is then able to begin copying the template strands by adding nucleotides onto the end of the primers, producing two molecules of double-stranded DNA. Repeating this cycle increases the amount of DNA exponentially: some 30 cycles, each lasting only a few minutes, will produce more than a billion copies of the original DNA sequence.
PCR applications
PCR has extremely wide applications. In medical diagnostics the technique made it possible to identify the causative agent of a bacterial or viral infection directly from a very small sample of genetic material; it was also used to screen patients for genetic disorders such as sickle cell anemia and Huntington’s chorea. Evolutionary biologists employed PCR to study minute amounts of DNA extracted from the fossil remains of ancient species, and forensic scientists used it to identify crime suspects or victims from traces of blood, semen, or strands of hair left at a crime scene. The technique was also an important tool in DNA sequencing.
Personal life
Mullis was known for his eccentricities, including his rejection of climate change and the validity of HIV infection as the cause of AIDS. While at Berkeley, he became experienced in synthesizing—and using—the psychedelic drug LSD. He later claimed that his experience with the drug had opened his mind to the invention of PCR. In his autobiography, Dancing Naked in the Mind Field (1997), Mullis related that, though “functionally sober,” while driving along mountain roads through California, he started to imagine chains of coiled DNA, with colorful visions of electric molecules appearing in front of him, which lead him to PCR.
Mullis also was known for his generally combative personality. While at Cetus, he argued with his coworkers, including his superiors. After leaving the company in 1986, he was bitter about losing rights to his invention and took up surfing as a hobby. He also had a reputation for pursuing women and for including his own photographs of naked women in his scientific presentations; he went through three divorces before finally marrying for a fourth time.