EP 46 · 1:28:54

Maser, laser, and peptide hormones

From America 250: The Breakthroughs That Built American Science — Part 1

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In this chapter

Physicist Theodore Maiman built the first laser at HRL Labs in Malibu, California. In 1953, chemist Vincent du Vigneaud achieved the first chemical synthesis of a peptide hormone, oxytocin, at Cornell University, proving that complex biological signaling molecules could be constructed from scratch rather than only extracted from living tissue.

  1. 01

    Du Vigneaud won the Nobel Prize in 1955 for the oxytocin synthesis, two years after completing the work.

Transcript

148 words · auto-generated from the episode video

1:28:55physicist Theodore Mman he constructed the first laser at HRL labs in Malibu, California which is where >> which was my former employer. So shout out to HRL labs. >> Yes. Uh funding matters 1953 first chemical synthesis of a peptide hormone. >> Right. So this is Vincent Du Vingoid. Okay. He achieved the first chemical synthesis of oxytocin. Yeah. >> At Cornell University. He won the Nobel Prize in 1955 for it. And he proved that complex biological signaling molecules can be constructed from scratch. This

1:29:37has um a special place in my heart because I am recently a father and you know the delivery procedure involved some fake oxytocin. So thank you to Vincent D vigoid for that. >> VDV uh not to be confused with Virgil van Djk which is VVD uh the Liverpool player 195 who was out of the World Cup. Sorry it's

From the episode
  1. EP 46

    America 250: The Breakthroughs That Built American Science — Part 1

    Part one of our America 250 special traces the inventions, institutions, and scientific breakthroughs — from Franklin to Sputnik — that helped build the United States into a global scientific power.

    America 250: The Breakthroughs That Built American Science — Part 1

America 250History of Science