obituaries

Beyond his achievements in academia, he also cofounded three pharmaceutical companies and filed 15 patents related to cancer therapeutics. 

A look at some noteworthy scientists who died this year, leaving behind a legacy of research excellence.

He also worked on immunizations against polio, rubella, influenza, and more.

At 33, Dal Co had already founded her own microbial ecology lab at the University of Lausanne in Switzerland.

Judith Masters and Fabien Génin had both recently retired from the University of Fort Hare after celebrated careers researching lemurs and their kin.

His work blended biology and the methods of theoretical physics to explain neural networks. 

Silverthorne shaped the development of many NSF programs driving innovation in plant biology and agriculture. 

Benacerraf pioneered the use of ultrasound to diagnose fetal syndromes.

Evans advanced the field of pediatric cancer treatment and cofounded the first Ronald McDonald House in 1974 to help families with sick children.

He was best known for his discovery that grapefruit juice makes some medications less effective or potentially dangerous.

Her passion came from her son’s struggle with type 1 diabetes and the inability to find new treatments.

The Cornell University physicist was an advocate on issues such as nuclear weapons and climate change.

Guthrie established foundational concepts in the field of pre-mRNA splicing during her career at the University of California, San Francisco.

The paleoanthropologist was widely celebrated for his unmatched ability to find and identify fossils.

He was known for his research on iron’s role in phytoplankton biomass.

He advanced the field of medical genetics, spoke out about reducing the stigma associated with mental illness, and captured attention for asserting that scientific evidence failed to demonstrate that life begins at conception.

Lovelock’s environmental research improved humanity’s understanding of pollutants, but he’s best known for his hypothesis that Earth behaves like a self-regulating organism, which changed how scientists view the planet.

Seifert is well known for his clinical toxicology work, particularly his findings around snake envenomation and antivenoms.

Coppens, alongside Donald Johanson and Maurice Taieb, found a 3.2-million-year-old Australopithecus afarensis fossil in the 1970s.