1. UNIT 2 Genetic information Biology and Geology 4. Secondary Education. SEVERO OCHOA AND THE GENETIC CODE

2. UNIT 2 Severo Ochoa and the genetic code Biology and Geology 4. Secondary Education. Severo Ochoa, (b. Luarca, Asturias, Spain, 1905, d. 1993), was a Spanish doctor and biochemist; he received the Nobel Prize for Physiology and Medicine. He studied medicine in Madrid, but after the civil war he settled in the United States, where he pursued his career. In1955 he isolated a microorganism from an enzyme which was later to be known as RNA polymerase, with the function of RNA synthesis. By using this enzyme, Ochoa was able to synthesise RNA in the laboratory for the first time, on the basis of the nucleotides. Within the field of biochemistry, he studied the metabolism of carbohydrates and fatty acids, and he discovered a new metabolic enzyme; he also studied the role of the B complex vitamins and the process of CO 2 fixation through green plants. A year later, the North American biochemist Arthur Kornberg, a disciple of Ochoa’s, demonstrated that the synthesis of DNA calls for another polymerase enzyme, which is specific to this chain. They shared the 1959 Nobel Prize for Physiology and Medicine between them for their discoveries. These discoveries later made it possible to decipher the genetic code.

3. UNIT 2 Severo Ochoa and the genetic code Biology and Geology 4. Secondary Education. Activities 1. What year did Severo Ochoa win the Nobel Prize, and who did he share it with? 2. Look up the definition of biochemistry and write down its meaning. 3. Explain Severo Ochoa’s contributions to the field of biochemistry and genetics.