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Severo Ochoa
Luarca (Asturias), Spain
Archival Overview
Spanish-American biochemist who discovered polynucleotide phosphorylase, synthesizing RNA in vitro and deciphering key components of the universal genetic code, winning the 1959 Nobel Prize in Medicine.
Biographical Record
Severo Ochoa (1905–1993) studied medicine at the University of Madrid and trained across Europe before emigrating to the United States during World War II. At New York University, he isolated the enzyme polynucleotide phosphorylase, demonstrating how ribonucleotides could be linked into RNA without a cellular template.
His synthetic RNA chains allowed researchers to crack the triplet codons of amino acid translation. Ochoa shared the 1959 Nobel Prize with Arthur Kornberg and returned to Spain in his twilight years to foster biological sciences in the nascent democracy.
Key Life Milestones
Synthesis of Ribonucleic Acid
Discovered polynucleotide phosphorylase, achieving the first laboratory synthesis of RNA molecules.
Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine
Awarded the Nobel Prize for deciphering enzymatic synthesis of ribonucleic acid.
Memorial Guestbook & Tributes
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Final Resting Place
Perpetual MemorialLuarca (Asturias), Spain