December 16th
Born 16 Dec 1929.
An American biochemist and molecular biologist who developed the Ames test, which is an indicator of the carcinogenicity (carcinogenicity) of chemical substances. He measures the mutation rate of bacteria after introduction of the test substance. His work has led to a better understanding of the role of gene mutations in cancer, making it easier to test chemicals suspected of being cancerous. He also developed a database of chemicals that cause cancer in animals and listed their levels of pathogenicity. In 1997, Ames was part of a team of scientists at the University of California, Berkeley, who discovered a link between low levels of the essential nutrient folic acid and chromosomal and DNA disruption. These interruptions can lead to cancer and other illnesses.
