Luminous Pursuit

Jellyfish, GFP, and the Unforeseen Path to the Nobel Prize

This book narrates the uniquely intertwined life and scientific career of Nobel laureate Osamu Shimomura, with particular attention to his discovery of aequorin and Green Fluorescent Protein (GFP). It includes his early memories of Manchuria and wartime Japan featuring an eyewitness account of the atomic bombing of Nagasaki, his postwar studies and his travels to collect and research more than fifteen bioluminescent species, in locations ranging from Japan to San Juan Island, Bermuda, New Zealand and Norway. Dr Shimomura describes the unique combination of serendipity and perseverance that led ultimately to his 2008 Nobel Prize in chemistry. The book provides an engaging account of the life of a dedicated scientist, emphasizing the value of determination in the pursuit of pure scientific knowledge, and showing how a general understanding of science helped him open up new areas of research that have led to unforeseen applications in cell biology and medicine.

Contents:

• My Early Life: Manchuria, Sasebo, and the Beginning of the War
• The War Strikes Home: Ohmura Naval Aircraft Factory and the Atomic Bomb
• Struggling to Learn: Nagasaki, Nagoya, and Luciferin (1948–57)
• To America and Back: Marriage, Princeton, and Discovery of Aequorin and GFP
• A Risky Endeavor, Raw Jellyfish, and Mysteries of Bioluminescence
• From Mushrooms in Woods Hole to Red Jellyfish in Bergen
• The 1990s: Losses, Gains, and the Rise of GFP
• Going Full Circle: Nature's Gift, Scientific Honors, and Revisiting Japan
• The End of the Path: The Nobel Prize Announcement and Nobel Week
• After Stockholm: Visiting Los Alamos, Remembering Nagasaki
• Epilogue

Readership: Scientists, doctors, students and high school students working with GFP, or studying cell biology or bioluminescence; non-experts interested in scientific discovery or Nobel Week. Key Features:

• The book provides a unique perspective on the discovery of the important substance GFP and the study of bioluminescence
• Its main author is a Nobel laureate, whose atypical career reflects how his unusual background encouraged him to think outside the box