American biochemist Thomas R. Cech (born 1947) received the Nobel Prize in 1989 for his groundbreaking discovery of the role of the RNA molecule not only as a molecule of heredity, but also as a biocatalyst.

Discovered Science at an Early Age

Thomas Robert Cech was born on December 12, 1947, in Chicago, Illinois, to Robert Franklin Cech, a physician, and Annette Marie Cerveny Cech, a homemaker. The family moved to Iowa City where Cech was raised and attended school. His father, though medicine was his chosen field, was also extremely interested in physics and all sciences in general, a fascination that spread quickly to his son. It was as early as the fourth grade when Cech began collecting rocks and wondering about their formation. In later school years he could be found visiting with professors at the nearby University of Iowa about other earth sciences. This desire for knowledge and curiosity...