Na·thans  (nā'thənz)  American microbiologist. He shared a 1978 Nobel Prize for the discovery of restriction enzymes and their application to molecular genetics. |
| Nathans (nā'thənz) Pronunciation Key
American microbiologist who pioneered the use of restriction enzymes—enzymes that break DNA molecules down into manageable fragments—to create the first genetic map on which the location of specific genes on the DNA could be identified. For this work, which revolutionized genetic engineering, Nathans shared the 1978 Nobel Prize for physiology or medicine with Werner Arber and Hamilton Smith. |