Black Clanton C
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology Department, Fred C. Davison Life Sciences Complex, University of Georgia, Athens, GA, 30602, USA.
Photosynth Res. 2009 Jan;99(1):63-80. doi: 10.1007/s11120-008-9357-3. Epub 2008 Sep 16.
This abstract is a prologue to this paper. Prior to his health failing, Martin Gibbs began writing remembrances of his education and beginning a science career, particularly on the peaceful uses of nuclear radiation, at the U.S. Brookhaven National Laboratory (BNL), Camp Upton, NY. Two years before his death Martin provided one of us (Govindjee) a draft text narrating his science beginnings in anticipation of publication in Photosynthesis Research. Govindjee edited his draft and returned it to him. Later, when it became difficult for him to complete it, he phoned Govindjee and expressed the desire that Govindjee publish this story, provided he kept it close to his original. Certain parts of Martin's narrations have appeared without references (Gibbs 1999). The Gibbs family made a similar request since the narrations contained numerous early personal accounts. Clanton Black recently presented an elegant tribute on Martin Gibbs and his entire science career (Black 2008). Clanton was given the draft, which he and Govindjee then agreed to finish. This chronicle is their effort to place Gibbs's narrations about his education and his maturation scientifically, in context with the beginnings of biological chemistry work with carbon-14 at the BNL (see Gibbs 1999). Further, these events are placed in context with those times of newly discovered radioisotopes which became available as part of the intensive nuclear research of World War II (WW II). Carbon-14, discovered during WW II nuclear research in 1940, was extremely useful and quickly led to the rapid discovery of new carbon metabolism pathways and biochemical cycles, e.g., photosynthetic carbon assimilation, within a decade after WW II.
本摘要为本文的前言。在健康状况恶化之前，马丁·吉布斯开始撰写关于他的教育经历以及开启科学职业生涯的回忆文章，特别是在美国纽约厄普顿营地的布鲁克海文国家实验室（BNL）从事核辐射和平利用方面的工作。在去世前两年，马丁给我们其中一人（戈温德吉）提供了一份草稿，讲述他的科学起点，期望能发表在《光合作用研究》上。戈温德吉编辑了他的草稿并返还给他。后来，由于他难以完成，便打电话给戈温德吉，表示希望戈温德吉发表这个故事，前提是要尽量贴近他的原文。马丁叙述的某些部分已在未注明出处的情况下发表（吉布斯，1999年）。吉布斯家族提出了类似请求，因为这些叙述包含了许多早期的个人经历。克兰顿·布莱克最近对马丁·吉布斯及其整个科学职业生涯进行了精彩的致敬（布莱克，2008年）。克兰顿拿到了草稿，他和戈温德吉随后同意完成它。这本纪事就是他们努力将吉布斯关于他的教育及成长经历的叙述科学地置于背景之中，与布鲁克海文国家实验室利用碳 - 14开展生物化学工作的开端相联系（见吉布斯，1999年）。此外，这些事件还与新发现的放射性同位素的时代背景相联系，这些同位素是第二次世界大战（二战）期间密集核研究的成果之一。碳 - 14于1940年在二战核研究期间被发现，极其有用，并在二战后的十年内迅速促成了新的碳代谢途径和生化循环的快速发现，例如光合碳同化。
