Maxine Singer
Maxine Singer (1931), a molecular biologist, is a leader in the field of human genetics research and ethics. She helped decipher the mechanisms of the human genetic code: how cells translate DNA’s instructions onto RNA, which then guides synthesis of proteins that carry out the functions of life. Singer was a key organizer of the 1975 Asilomar Conference, which established ethical guidelines for research into genetic engineering. A National Academy of Sciences member, she also served as president of the Carnegie Institution for Science.
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