1903-1989

American Geneticist

In 1958 George Wells Beadle shared the Nobel Prize in medicine with Joshua Lederberg (1925- ) and Edward Lawrie Tatum (1909-1975) for their discoveries that demonstrated the relationship between genes and the proteins they controlled. Beadle and Tatum demonstrated that genes act by regulating specific chemical events. Exploiting the potential of the bread mold Neurospora as a genetic and biochemical tool, they established the "one gene–one enzyme" theory.

Beadle was born in Wahoo, Nebraska, on a small family farm. One of his high school teachers recognized his potential and urged him to continue his education. He became interested in genetics while earning his bachelor's and master's degrees from the College of Agriculture of the University of Nebraska in 1926 and 1927, respectively. A professor of agronomy at Nebraska suggested that he continue graduate work with Rollins A. Emerson, an early advocate of Mendelian genetics...