Jacques Monod

''See also Jacques-Louis Monod, French-born composer and cousin of Jacques Monod. ''

Jacques Lucien Monod (February 9, 1910 – May 31, 1976) was a French biologist who was awarded a Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine in 1965. Born in Paris, he was also awarded several other honours and distinctions, among them the Légion d'honneur. Monod (along with François Jacob) is famous for his work on the Lac operon. Study of the control of expression of genes in the Lac operon provided the first example of a transcriptional regulation system. He also suggested the existence of mRNA molecules that link the information encoded in DNA and proteins.

Monod also made important contributions to the field of enzymology with his proposed theory of allostery proposed in 1965 with Jeffries Wyman (1901-1995) and Jean-Pierre Changeux.

The experimental system used by Jacob and Monod was a common bacterium, E. coli, but the basic regulatory concept (described in the Lac operon article) that was discovered by Jacob and Monod is fundamental to cellular regulation for all organisms. The key idea is that E. coli does not bother to waste energy making such enzymes if there is no need to metabolize lactose, such as when other sugars like glucose are available. This concept is called negative gene regulation.

Monod was not only a biologist but also a fine musician and esteemed writer on the philosophy of science. He was a political activist and chief of staff of operations for the Forces Françaises de l'Interieur during World War II. In preparation for the Allied landings, he arranged parachute drops of weapons, railroad bombings, and mail interceptions.

Jacques Monod died in 1976 and was interred in the Cimetière du Grand Jas in Cannes on the French Riviera.

Quotes

 * The first scientific postulate is the objectivity of nature: nature does not have any intention or goal
 * A scientist who believes in god suffers from schizophrenia

External link

 * Biography of Jacques Monod at Nobel e-Museum

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