Martin David Kamen (1913-2002): discoverer of carbon 14, and of new cytochromes in photosynthetic bacteria.

Abstract

Martin Kamen was a giant of twentieth century science. Trained as a physical chemist, he was the co-discoverer of radioactive Carbon 14, which has transformed many areas of science as a tracer and as a way to date artifacts. He later switched to the study of metabolism and biochemistry and made important contributions to the understanding of nitrogen fixation and photosynthesis. Finally, he studied cytochromes, primarily from anoxygenic photosynthetic bacteria.