Who's Who?

Oct 07, 05:42 AM

Current Headlines: By Source: N&O Research, The News & Observer, Raleigh, N.C.

Oct. 7--Who's who

Who: David Deamer, professor of biochemistry at the University of California, Santa Cruz

What: Deamer is considered a leading expert on creating life. He has researched the role of membranes in the first forms of cellular life. His research helps scientists understand how primitive forms of cellular life appeared on Earth and were able to capture nutrients from their surroundings and incorporate them in intracellular growth processes.

Who: Mark Bedau, professor of philosophy at Reed College in Portland, Ore., and chief operating officer of ProtoLife, a synthetic biology firm in Venice, Italy.

What: Bedau has pioneered the field of quantifying and comparing the evolutionary activity in artificial and natural systems. His long-range aim is to create useful artificial cells. He recently co-founded the European Center for Living Technology, a research institute in Venice that investigates theoretical and practical issues associated with living systems.

Who: Jack Szostak, professor of genetics at Harvard Medical School in Cambridge, Mass.

What: Szostak helped develop the first synthetic chromosome, the Yeast Artificial Chromosome, which later helped researchers develop techniques for manipulating genes and are now used in cloning. Szostak is currently working on the role of ribonucleic acid in biochemical reactions. His studies may show the role primitive RNAs might have played in primitive cell organization and biochemistry.

Who: Steve Benner, biological chemist and creator of the Foundation for Applied Molecular Evolution in Gainesville, Fla.

What: Benner discovered the field of "synthetic biology," which generates molecules that reproduce the complex behavior of living systems, including their genetics, inheritance and evolution. He studies the development of chemical systems capable of self-reproduction and evolution.

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