Edward Tatum

Edward Tatum was an American geneticist best known for his pioneering work on the biochemical basis of heredity. Along with George Beadle, he showed that genes are directly responsible for specific enzymes that control individual steps in metabolic pathways. Their experiments, especially with bread mold, helped establish the concept of gene function at the molecular level, laying the foundation for molecular genetics. Tatum’s research demonstrated that mutations could disrupt enzyme activity, affecting an organism's traits. His work significantly advanced our understanding of how genes influence biological processes, earning him and Beadle the Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine in 1958.