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Oliver Smithies

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Scientist

The Resume

    (June 23, 1925-January 10, 2017)
    Born in Halifax, West Yorkshire, England, United Kingdom
    Geneticist
    Naturalized US citizen
    Developed gel electrophoresis as a method for separating proteins (1955)
    Developed homologous recombination of transgenic DNA with genomic DNA (a.k.a. gene targeting) as a technique for altering the genetic material of an organism
    Used the technique to create the first ‘knockout mouse’ -- a mouse in which a gene has been inactivated by being replaced or modified by an artificial piece of DNA (1989)
    Co-recipient of the Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine (2007)

Why he might be annoying:

    He noted that one of his first published papers had ‘the dubious distinction of never being cited by me, or anyone else.’
    As part of a study on the possible environmental hazards of genetically-modified organisms, he and a colleague drank milk spiked with a large number of tagged bacteria, then brought in their poop for analysis to determine how many bacteria survived. (‘The little packages of fecal material that we had to bring back to the lab were the sources of much merriment.’)
    After divorcing his first wife, he married one of his graduate students.

Why he might not be annoying:

    Gene targeting revolutionized genetics by making it possible to link specific genes to their effects.
    During a sabbatical year, he learned how to fly a plane.
    He continued working seven-day weeks in his lab until shortly before his death.
    A colleague said, ‘He washed his own glassware. This was a guy who really liked science.’

Credit: C. Fishel


Featured in the following Annoying Collections:

Year In Review:

    In 2023, Out of 1 Votes: 0% Annoying
    In 2021, Out of 9 Votes: 88.89% Annoying
    In 2020, Out of 3 Votes: 66.67% Annoying
    In 2019, Out of 1 Votes: 100% Annoying
    In 2018, Out of 2 Votes: 50.0% Annoying
    In 2017, Out of 103 Votes: 67.96% Annoying