Joshua Lederberg

Joshua Lederberg
Born	(1925-05-23)May 23, 1925 Montclair, New Jersey, U.S.
Died	February 2, 2008(2008-02-02) (aged 82) New York City, U.S.
Cause of death	Pneumonia
Nationality	American
Alma mater	Columbia University, Yale University
Known for	Bacterial conjugation; Transduction; Astrobiology; Dendral
Awards	Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine (1959) National Medal of Science (1989) Presidential Medal of Freedom (2006)
Scientific career
Fields	Microbiologist
Doctoral advisor	Edward Tatum

Joshua Lederberg (May 23, 1925 – February 2, 2008)^[1] was an American geneticist. He was known for his work on bacterial transduction, artificial intelligence, and space exploration. He was just 33 years old when he won the 1958 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine for discovering that bacteria can mate and exchange genes.^[2] He shared the prize with Edward Tatum and George Beadle who won for their work on the genetics of the fungus Neurospora.

In addition to his contributions to biology, Lederberg did extensive research in artificial intelligence. This included work in the NASA experimental programs seeking life on Mars and the chemistry expert system Dendral.

Lederberg was of Jewish descent.

1. ↑ "Joshua Lederberg, Rockefeller University's fifth president, dies at 82". Archived from the original on 2016-03-06. Retrieved 2011-02-14.
2. ↑ Warwick K. 2001. The Joshua Lederberg Papers: Profiles in Science, National Library of Medicine. Biography, 24, 978-982.