CONFERENCE ROOM: DR. NIRENBERG SPEAKS (SOF)



DR. NIREMBERG: "WELL, WITHIN EACH CELL THERE'S A VERY POLYMERIC MOLECULE -- A VERY LONG MOLECULE -- THAT CONTAINS, THIS IS THE INFORMATION THAT'S INHERITED, AND IT CONTAINS ALL THE INFORMATION THAT THE CELL REALLY NEEDS TO SYNTHESISE ALL, VIRTUALLY ALL, THE MACHINERY OF THE CELL. NOW, IT'S THAT SIMPLE, LOGICAL LANGUAGE AND IT'S IN A CODE, AND THIS CODE IS TRANSLATED BY THE CELL'S MACHINERY, AND NEW CELLS ARE PRODUCED."



REPORTER: "AND DID YOU UNDERSTAND THAT LANGUAGE WORKED, DOES THAT HELP YOU UNDERSTAND ABOUT LIVING THINGS?"



DR. NIREMBERG: "WELL, IT SEEMS, FROM EVERYTHING WE KNOW NOW. IT SEEMS PROBABLE THAT ALL FORMS OF LIFE ON EARTH USE ESSENTIALLY THE SAME LANGUAGE."




Initials JH/N-TELE/CR/SS



Script is copyright Reuters Limited. All rights reserved

Background: DR. MARSHALL NIRENBERG, ONE OF THE THREE AMERICAN SCIENTISTS WHO WERE JOINTLY AWARDED THE 1968 NOBEL PRIZE FOR MEDICINE YESTERDAY (WEDNESDAY), EXPLAINED HIS WORK IN A PRESS CONFERENCE IN BETHESDAY, MARYLAND NEAR WASHINGTON, D. C., YESTERDAY. DR. NIRENBERG IS A BIOCHEMIST AT THE NATIONAL INSTITUTE OF HEALTH AT BETHESDA.

THE CAROLINE INSTITUTE IN STOCKHOLM, SWEDEN, ANNOUNCED THE AWARD TO DR. NIRENBERG, 41, AND PROFESSORS ROBERT HOLLEY, OF CORNELL UNIVERSITY, NEW YORK, AND H. GOBIND KHORANA, OF THE UNIVERSITY OF WISCONSIN, BOTH 46, FOR INTERPRETING THE GENETIC CODE AND ITS FUNCTION IN PROTEIN SYNTHESIS.

IT SAID THAT AROUND 1960 RESEARCH INTO THE NATURE OF THE GENETIC CODE WAS CARRIED OUT IN MANY PARTS OF THE WORLD, BUT IT WAS DR. NIRENBERG WHO FOUND THE SOLUTION.

THE INSTITUTE SAID THAT THE DECODING OF THE GENETIC CODE GAVE THE KEY TO TRANSLATING ONE BIOLOGICAL LANGUAGE INTO ANOTHER -- IT TRANSLATED THE LANGUAGE OF NUCLEIC ACIDS INTO THAT OF PROTEINS.

IN INVESTIGATION OF THE THREE MEN COVERGED ON THE COMMON PROBLEM. THE SOLUTION PROVED THE FINE STRUCTURE OF THE CODE AND REVEALED HOW IT WAS USED BY A CELL FOR THE BIOSYNTHESIS OF PROTEINS.