Thomas Cech

@Chemists, Life Achievements and Life ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ Thomas Robert Cech is an American chemist who was jointly awarded the ‘Nobel Prize in Chemistry’ in 1989 American Massachusetts Institute Of Technology University Of California, Berkeley Scientists Chemists Sagittarius Celebrities Thomas Robert Cech is an American chemist who was jointly awarded the ‘Nobel Prize in Chemistry’ in 1989 along with American molecular biologist Sidney Altman, for his pioneering discovery of the part that ribonucleic acid (RNA), a polymeric molecule, plays as a molecule of hereditary as also of its catalytic properties. He found out that RNA, one of the nucleic acids, has the capacity to cut fine threads of RNA, a finding which displayed that there is a possibility that life was initiated as RNA. His contributing research works also included examination of telomeres, an area of repetitious nucleotide series present at all the ends of a chromosome that shields the chromosome ends from deteriorating and also from synthesizing with other chromosomes. Telomerase reverse transcriptase (TERT), a catalytic subunit of the enzyme telomerase, which is part of the procedure to restore telomeres following their reduction at the time of cell division, was discovered in his lab. He received several awards and recognition for his scientific contributions. These included the ‘Louisa Gross Horwitz Prize’ from ‘Columbia University’ and the ‘Heineken Prize’ from the ‘Royal Netherlands Academy of Sciences’ in 1988; the ‘National Medal of Science’ from the President of the United States in 1995; and the ‘Othmer Gold Medal’ in 2007 presented together by the ‘Chemical Heritage Foundation’, the ‘American Chemical Society’ (ACS), the ‘Société de Chimie Industrielle’ (American section), ‘The Chemists’ Club’ and the ‘American Institute of Chemical Engineers’ (AIChE).

Personal Details

Birthday: December 8, 1947 Nationality: American Famous: Massachusetts Institute Of Technology, University Of California, Berkeley, Scientists, Chemists Spouses: Carol Lynn Martinson Siblings: Richard and Barbara Known as: Thomas Robert Cech, Tom Cech Childrens: Allison, Jennifer Information Detail Birthday December 8, 1947 Nationality American Famous Massachusetts Institute Of Technology, University Of California, Berkeley, Scientists, Chemists Spouses Carol Lynn Martinson Siblings Richard and Barbara Known as Thomas Robert Cech, Tom Cech Childrens Allison, Jennifer Universities Massachusetts Institute Of Technology (MIT),University Of California, Berkeley Grinnell College (B.A. 1970) University of California Berkeley (Ph.D. 1975) Massachusetts Institute of Technology (Postdoctoral) Notable Alumnis Massachusetts Institute Of Technology (MIT) University Of California Berkeley Birth Place Chicago, USA Gender Male Sun Sign Sagittarius Born in Chicago, USA Famous as Chemist

Chicago, USA

Thomas Cech born at Unsplash Birth Place

He married Carol Lynn Martinson, his lab partner of organic chemistry from his graduating years, in 1970. Thereafter they both joined the ‘University of California’ to pursue their PhD and obtained it in 1975. Unsplash Personal Life

The couple is blessed with two daughters Allison, born in 1982 and Jennifer born in 1986. Unsplash Personal Life

He was born on December 8, 1947, in Chicago to a physician father and a homemaker mother, both of whom were of Czech origin. He was brought up in Iowa City, Iowa, along with his two siblings, Richard and Barbara. Unsplash Childhood & Early Life

Although a physician, his father’s love for physics besides medicine introduced a scientific viewpoint invariably in most of their conversations that probably infused an interest on science in Cech from an early age. By the time he was in fourth grade, he started collecting minerals and rocks that made him curious about the way these were formed. Unsplash Childhood & Early Life

His curiosity increased with time and by the time he started studying in junior high school, he would knock the doors of Geology professors at the ‘University of Iowa’ and request them to show models of crystal structures and discuss about fossils, meteorites and crystal structures. Unsplash Childhood & Early Life

He joined a private liberal arts college, the ‘Grinnell College’ in Grinnell, Iowa in 1966. There he studied ‘Odyssey, one of two main ancient Greek epic poems by Homer; ‘Inferno’, the first part of the 14th-century epic poem ‘Divine Comedy’ by Dante Alighieri; Chemistry and Constitutional History. Unsplash Childhood & Early Life

In 1970 he completed his graduation with a B.A. Unsplash Childhood & Early Life

He joined the ‘University of Colorado Boulder’ (also referred as ‘UCB’, ‘CU, Boulder’ and ‘CU-Boulder’) in 1978 in a faculty position and taught chemistry and biochemistry to undergraduate students. Since 1990 till present he serves the university as Distinguished Professor in the Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry. Unsplash Career

The primary research area of Cech has been the method of transcription, the very first step of gene expression, in nucleus of cells, where the enzyme RNA polymerase copies a specific segment of DNA, a molecule that carries much of the genetic instructions, into the RNA (mRNA). Unsplash Career

During the 1970s he was examining RNA splicing of Tetrahymena thermophila, a unicellular pond organism, and found that an RNA molecule which is unprocessed can splice itself. Unsplash Career

In 1982 he and his research team were the first to declare that in absence of proteins an RNA molecule of Tetrahymena thermophila can cut and rejoin chemical bonds. Thus they became the first to show that RNA is not only a passive carrier of genetic data but they can have catalytic functions and can take part in reactions of cells. Unsplash Career

This finding of self-splicing RNA by Cech changed the earlier perception that proteins only function as catalysts in biological reactions. Unsplash Career

His pioneering discovery of catalytic RNA changed the earlier tenets of biosciences and researchers who perceived RNA of living cells to be passive became aware that RNA can behave as an enzyme and work as a catalyst. These findings have provided a new device in the technology of genes and also led to the revision of chemistry and biology textbooks. The RNA enzymes also have the ability to provide new therapeutic agents. Unsplash Major Works

The discovery of telomerase reverse transcriptase (TERT) is aiding scientists in comprehending the behaviour of HIV in a better way. Unsplash Major Works

Information	Detail
Birthday	December 8, 1947
Nationality	American
Famous	Massachusetts Institute Of Technology, University Of California, Berkeley, Scientists, Chemists
Spouses	Carol Lynn Martinson
Siblings	Richard and Barbara
Known as	Thomas Robert Cech, Tom Cech
Childrens	Allison, Jennifer
Universities	Massachusetts Institute Of Technology (MIT),University Of California, Berkeley Grinnell College (B.A. 1970) University of California Berkeley (Ph.D. 1975) Massachusetts Institute of Technology (Postdoctoral)
Notable Alumnis	Massachusetts Institute Of Technology (MIT) University Of California Berkeley
Birth Place	Chicago, USA
Gender	Male
Sun Sign	Sagittarius
Born in	Chicago, USA
Famous as	Chemist

Thomas Cech

American

Dec 8, 1947

Biography

Personal Details

Chicago, USA