Kary Mullis

Kary Mullis
Mullis in 2006
Born
Kary Banks Mullis

(1944-12-28)December 28, 1944
Lenoir, North Carolina, U.S.
DiedAugust 7, 2019(2019-08-07) (aged 74)
Newport Beach, California, U.S.
Alma materGeorgia Institute of Technology (BS)
University of California, Berkeley (PhD)
Known forInvention of polymerase chain reaction
TaqMan
AwardsWilliam Allan Award (1990)
Robert Koch Prize (1992)
Nobel Prize in Chemistry (1993)
Japan Prize (1993)[1]
Scientific career
FieldsMolecular biology
Thesis Schizokinen: structure and synthetic work  (1973)
Doctoral advisorJ. B. Neilands
Websitekarymullis.com

Kary Banks Mullis (December 28, 1944 – August 7, 2019) was an American biochemist. In recognition of his role in the invention of the polymerase chain reaction (PCR) technique, he shared the 1993 Nobel Prize in Chemistry with Michael Smith[2] and was awarded the Japan Prize in the same year. PCR became a central technique in biochemistry and molecular biology, described by The New York Times as "highly original and significant, virtually dividing biology into the two epochs of before PCR and after PCR."[3]

Mullis downplayed humans' role in climate change, expressed doubt that HIV is the cause of AIDS,[4][5][6] and professed a belief in astrology and the paranormal.[7][8] Mullis's unscientific statements about topics outside his area of expertise have been named by Skeptical Inquirer as an instance of "Nobel disease".[7]

  1. ^ "Laureates of the Japan Prize". Japan Prize Foundation. Retrieved December 13, 2021.
  2. ^ Shampo, M. A.; Kyle, R. A. (2002). "Kary B. Mullis – Nobel Laureate for procedure to replicate DNA". Mayo Clinic Proceedings. 77 (7): 606. doi:10.4065/77.7.606. PMID 12108595.
  3. ^ Cite error: The named reference Wade 1998 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  4. ^ Pineda, Dorany (August 13, 2019). "Kary Mullis, quirky Nobel laureate whose DNA discovery changed the science world, dies". Los Angeles Times.
  5. ^ McClain, Dylan Loeb (August 15, 2019). "Kary B. Mullis, 74, Dies; Found a Way to Analyze DNA and Won Nobel". The New York Times. Archived from the original on January 3, 2022.
  6. ^ Arnaud, Celia Henry (August 21, 2019). "Kary Mullis dies at age 74". Chemical & Engineering News.
  7. ^ a b Cite error: The named reference Basterfield 2020 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  8. ^ Cite error: The named reference Jarry 2019 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).