Origins & Early Life

Carl Richard Woese ( WOHZ; July 15, 1928 – December 30, 2012) was an American microbiologist and biophysicist. Woese defined the Archaea (a new domain of life) in 1977 through a pioneering phylogenetic taxonomy of 16S ribosomal RNA, a technique that has revolutionized microbiology. He also originated the RNA world hypothesis in 1967, although not by that name. Woese held the Stanley O.

Pivotal Works & Achievements

Ikenberry Chair and was professor of microbiology at the University of Illinois Urbana–Champaign. Woese was born in Syracuse, New York on July 15, 1928. His family was German American. Woese attended Deerfield Academy in Massachusetts. He received a bachelor's degree in mathematics and physics from Amherst College in 1950.

Enduring Legacy & Impact

During his time at Amherst, Woese took only one biology course (Biochemistry, in his senior year) and had "no scientific interest in plants and animals" until advised by William M. Fairbank, then an assistant professor of physics at Amherst, to pursue biophysics at Yale. In 1953, he completed a PhD in biophysics at Yale University, where his doctoral research focused on the inactivation of viruses by heat and ionizing radiation. He studied medicine at the University...

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• 1928 Historical Timeline & Archive — Explore world events and figures from 1928
• July 15 (07-15) On This Day — Historical birthdays and events on July 15
• 2012 Historical Timeline & Archive — Explore world events and figures from 2012
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