In the 1950s Edwin G. Krebs and his longtime associate Edmond Fischer discovered reversible protein phosphorylation , a fundamental biological mechanism. Together Krebs and Fisher's work illuminates the basic processes that regulate many vital aspects of cell activity, such as protein synthesis, cell metabolism, and hormonal responses to stress. Medical application of their discoveries has helped in research on Alzheimer's disease, organ transplants, and certain kinds of cancer, and in 1992 the two scientists shared the Nobel Prize for Physiology or Medicine. In addition to his contributions in the field of biochemical research, Krebs has also been recognized for his teaching and administrative abilities.

Edwin Gerhard Krebs was born to William Carl Krebs and Louisa Helena Stegeman Krebs in Lansing, Iowa, on June 6, 1918. He was the third of four children. His father, a Presbyterian minister, died while Krebs was in his first year of high school. In order to keep...