Jacques Monod

Jacques Monod (9 February 1910 – 31 May 1976) was a French biochemist who won the Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine in 1965, shared with François Jacob and André Lwoff "for their discoveries concerning genetic control of enzyme and virus synthesis". Monod's research and life philosophy were intertwined, and he was known for his profound intellectual rigor, his insistence on the integration of knowledge, and his humanistic and ethical views.

Early life and education[edit | edit source]

Monod was born in Paris, France, on 9 February 1910. He was the younger son of Lucie (née Soroche) and Lucien Monod, a painter and a descendant of a Huguenot family that had fled France in the 17th century. Monod was educated at the Lycée de Cannes and at the University of Paris, where he received his doctorate in natural sciences in 1934.

Career[edit | edit source]

Monod began his scientific career as a zoologist, studying the growth and differentiation of bacterial cultures. He became interested in the work of André Lwoff and joined his laboratory at the Pasteur Institute in 1945. There, Monod and Lwoff made significant contributions to the emerging field of molecular biology.

In 1961, Monod and François Jacob proposed the operon model of gene regulation, a groundbreaking concept that revolutionized our understanding of how genes are controlled. Their work laid the foundation for the field of genetic engineering.

Monod also made significant contributions to the philosophy of science, particularly in his book Chance and Necessity, published in 1970. In this work, he argued that the universe is not purposeful, but rather the result of chance and necessity.

Personal life and death[edit | edit source]

Monod was married to Odette Bruhl and they had two sons, Philippe and Olivier. He died on 31 May 1976 in Cannes, France.

Legacy[edit | edit source]

Monod's work has had a profound impact on the field of molecular biology and our understanding of life at the molecular level. His ideas continue to influence scientific thought and research today.

References[edit | edit source]

External links[edit | edit source]

Nobel Prize Biography

Jacques Monod Resources
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