Paul Nurse

Lore & Background

Nurse was raised by his maternal grandparents in North West London, believing them to be his parents, while his biological mother posed as his sister. He did not learn the truth until his 50s, when a rejected US green card application led him to obtain a full birth certificate. In 2023, Professor Turi King traced his biological father for him. He identified the gene cdc2 in fission yeast in 1976, which controls cell cycle transitions from G1 to S phase and G2 to mitosis.

Reader's Guide

Paul Nurse's discovery of the cdc2 gene in fission yeast and its human counterpart CDK1 fundamentally advanced understanding of the cell cycle, a process central to growth, development, and cancer. His work demonstrated that key cell cycle regulators are conserved across species, from yeast to humans, providing a molecular framework for studying uncontrolled cell division in tumors. This research earned him the 2001 Nobel Prize and has influenced cancer therapeutics targeting cyclin-dependent kinases. Beyond the laboratory, Nurse has been a prominent public advocate for science. He has criticized anti-science stances in US politics and emphasized the importance of teaching scientific reasoning in schools. His 2020 book 'What Is Life?' attempts to explain biology to a general audience. Nurse's personal history—discovering late in life that his 'sister' was actually his mother—adds a human dimension to his legacy. His career illustrates how fundamental biological research can yield profound practical insights, and his public engagement underscores the responsibility of scientists to speak out on evidence-based policy.

Did You Know?

• Nurse did not know his 'sister' was actually his mother until he was in his 50s, after a rejected US green card application led him to obtain a full birth certificate.
• He identified the gene cdc2 in fission yeast in 1976, which controls the cell cycle from G1 to S phase and G2 to mitosis.
• Nurse was a member of the Labour Party for nearly 40 years and sold Socialist Worker as an undergraduate.
• He was appointed to the Order of Merit in November 2022.