Lady microbiologist of the week : Esther Lederberg

 

Photo credit: Esther M Zimmer Lederberg Memorial website

Lady Microbiologist: Episode 2

     

     Esther Miriam Zimmer Lederberg (1922 – 2006) was a microbiologist and the first researcher of bacterial genetics. She discovered the bacterial virus λ, the bacterial fertility factor F, the first implementation of replica plating, and furthered the understanding of the transfer of genes between bacteria by specialized transduction. She won the Pasteur Award. 

     Esther Lederberg also founded and directed the now-defunct Plasmid Reference Centre at Stanford. In that center, she maintained, named, and distributed a number of types of plasmids 

     In 1952, Esther and Joshua Lederberg together performed an experiment that proved many mutations are random but not directed. During this experiment, they capitalized on the benefit with which bacteria are often grown and maintained. Bacteria grow into isolated colonies on plates. These colonies will be reproduced from a clever plate to new plates by “stamping” the first plate with a cloth so stamping empty plates with the identical cloth. Bacteria from each colony are picked from the fabric then deposited on the new plates by the material.

     She was a girl in an exceedingly male-dominated field. Her husband Joshua Lederberg could be an award winner in Literature. She was in spite of foundational discoveries within the field of microbiology.

Akanksha Joshi,

Microbiol,

RSML