Hidden Legacy: The Life and Work of Esther Zimmer Lederberg

Esther Zimmer Lederberg, a microbiologist, and her husband, Joshua Lederberg, made significant discoveries that contributed to the biochemical understanding of the gene. Their work laid the foundation for molecular biology and bacterial genetics. Despite her ingenuity, her contributions were ignored and undervalued by the Nobel committee, and her role in the discoveries that launched her husband's career has been obscured by historians of science. A Hidden Legacy by Thomas E. Schindler shares Esther's hidden scientific contributions and her role in the discoveries that launched her husband's career, including the discovery of λ bacteriophage, the first plasmid, and the fundamental properties of bacterial sex.

Format: Hardback
Length: 176 pages
Publication date: 20 October 2021
Publisher: Oxford University Press Inc

Esther Zimmer Lederberg, a renowned microbiologist, made significant contributions to the field of biochemical understanding of the gene in the mid-20th century. Alongside her then-husband, Joshua Lederberg, they made groundbreaking discoveries that laid the foundation for molecular biology and bacterial genetics. In 1958, Joshua Lederberg alone received the Nobel Prize for their work. However, Esther's ingenuity and contributions were often overlooked and undervalued by the Nobel committee, and her role in the discoveries that launched her husband's career has been obscured by historians of science.

In his book, "A Hidden Legacy," Thomas E. Schindler shares many of Esther's hidden scientific contributions and her role in the discoveries that propelled her husband's celebrated career. The book delves into how the Lederbergs established a new field of bacterial genetics in the decade leading up to the discovery of the DNA double helix. Their impressive series of achievements includes the discovery of λ bacteriophage, the first plasmid known as the F-factor, the mechanism by which viruses carry bacterial genes between bacteria, and fundamental properties of bacterial sex.

Esther's research revealed unique features of bacterial sex that are now essential to our understanding of molecular biology and evolution. Through her work, she helped to unravel the complex relationships between bacteria and viruses, contributing to our understanding of infectious diseases and the evolution of life on Earth.

"A Hidden Legacy" is a magnificent story of a remarkable scientist. It takes readers through the process that scrambled the tree of life and offers insight into the role Esther played in uncovering these secretes of bacterial and viral genes. The book is a testament to Esther Zimmer Lederberg's enduring legacy and her contributions to science.

Weight: 390g
Dimension: 163 x 245 x 21 (mm)
ISBN-13: 9780197531679