Joshua Adames

Professor Crowe

Composition for Scientific World FIQWS 10111

15 October 2023

Have you ever wondered about those who came before you, what they achieved so you

can see your potential, and what you should strive for? Well, going to City College sparked this

interest within me. I want to know of those before me and one of those before me with one of

the greatest achievements is Arthur Kornberg. A man awarded the Nobel Prize in Physiology or

Medicine in 1959 his discovery changed how we live today and without it, we may not have

known many things we now treat as common knowledge.

Arthur Komberg was born in New York City on March 3, 1918. He was

the son of two Jewish immigrants who came from Poland in 1900. His

parents never got high-end education and he began working at 9

years old. He first went to Abraham Lincoln High School and then to City

College graduating in 1937. He then got a medicine doctorate in 1941.

He made his first research paper in 1942 on his condition, Gilbert

syndrome. 1941-1942 He worked in a hospital and 1942 he also worked as a ship doctor in

war. From 1942-1945 a reader of his paper had him help with a vitamin project. In 1946 he took

a summer class down at Columbia University. From 1947-1953 he studied Atp and NAD. He is

also well known for his work on how DNA is built up from simpler molecules. Until 1959 he was

a well-known professor. In 1956 made the first DNA polymerizing enzyme. He was on top of all

this fascinated with and researched spores which improved how we understand cell replication

greatly. The man did many things; he did all this research and never retired while still caring for

his 3 kids.

Arthur Kornberg is one of the first Nobel laureates to come from City College and has

some of the greatest contributions made of all the laureates too. In 1947-1953 Artur was

researching ATP which led to him looking at how DNA is made from smaller parts and looking into it.

Assisting in many smaller findings. In 1956 he had a breakthrough isolating the first DNA

polymerizing enzyme. The achievement got him chosen for a Nobel prize in 1959 and advanced

our knowledge of DNA greatly with us being able to separate this specific enzyme DNA

polymerase. On top of this achievement, he made developments in research of how spores

transfer DNA and how it replicates generating a new cell. Till the day he died, he published and

studied, finding he made many contributions to copious fields furthering them maybe not from a

front role but his work helped push others something not many others can claim. I would classify

him as the most important supporting character that without we wouldn’t have modern science.

Arthur Kormberg’s work may not have been flashy but it was important and awe

inspiring. To begin in the beginning of his work Arthur Kornberg was simply an inquisitive soul

doing research out of curiosity. He then became a teacher to show others his findings and while

still doing research all while having a family. His work-life balance alone I aspire for and his

passion and motivation to teach the youth is inspiring. Then he kept working even after his

greatest achievement he did not slack assisting in other research till the day he ceased being

with us. Even when not within the main role he chose to help and enjoyed it enough to do it till

death. His work did not consume him but simply pushed him forward with his family still

intact and from what I could find his kids knew and liked their father though he worked quite a

bit.

Arthur Kornberg was a man with one big achievement that changed the world as we

know it. This did not change him; he was more than the guy who found an enzyme instead of

slacking. He continued to research his greatest discovery but he still wanted to help and even

ushered in youth. He was not as grand as others but he lived a fulfilled life and helped move

science forward till the day he died he was an icon.

Work Cited Page

Hargittai, István (2002). “The road to Stockholm: Nobel Prizes, science, and scientists”, p. 121.

Oxford University Press. ISBN 0-19-850912-X. “Arthur Kornberg (M59), Jerome Karle (C85),

and Paul Berg (C80) all went to the Abraham Lincoln High School in Brooklyn.”

Lehman, I. Robert (2012). “Arthur Kornberg. 3 March 1918 — 26 October 2007”. Biographical

Memoirs of Fellows of the Royal Society. 58: 151–161. doi:10.1098/rsbm.2012.0032. S2CID

72666521

Altman, Lawrence K. (October 28, 2007). “Arthur Kornberg, Biochemist, Dies at 89”. The New

York Times. Archived from the original on September 29, 2017. Retrieved May 3, 2018.