Conversations with Laureates
What's better than being 34 years old, four years past the grind of getting a Ph.D. in biochemistry, honeymooning in Europe with the love of your life, and being regarded by your peers as a really nice guy? How about discovering the procedure for deciphering the genetic code in living cells, cracking the "code of life"?
This is the way life was unfolding for Marshall Nirenberg, a hard working and—until a summer day in Moscow in 1961—obscure scientist from the National Institutes of Health. Nirenberg was to present his scientific work at the International Symposium on Biochemistry where legend has it he passed the time of day with James Watson of Watson and Crick fame. Neither Watson nor Crick made it to Nirenberg's presentation, but they had heard enough from colleagues to be convinced of its importance. Following the meagerly attended event, Crick insisted that Nirenberg give a repeat performance at the end of the symposium. Marshall Nirenberg became an overnight star.
Although Nirenberg, Khorana and Holley won the Nobel Prize, Nirenberg stresses that at least thirteen NIH biochemists, including Phillip Leder and Merton Bernfield, share the credit with him. Older NIH hands say that the period was one of NIH's finest hours. So the story goes, many of Nirenberg's associates set aside their own work to take up his quest—not only because it was exciting, cutting-edge science undertaken by a strong contender for a Nobel Prize, but because, in addition to being brilliant, Marshall Nirenberg is a really nice guy.
In the words of Phil Leder, "Marshall was terrific, and I remember those days …The first step had been taken toward the solution of the genetic code. That was enormously exciting…the way Marshall engaged the problem, and his enthusiasm and patience for very naive people like myself, was something that just excited and attracted me."