The discovery of DNA (deoxyribonucleic acid) polymerase by Arthur Kornberg (born 1918) provides scientists with the tool they need to make copies of DNA.

Arthur Kornberg discovered deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA) polymerase, a natural, chemical tool which scientists could use to make copies of DNA, the giant molecule that carries the genetic information of every living organism. The achievement won him the 1959 Nobel Prize in medicine or physiology (which he shared with Severo Ochoa). Since his discovery, laboratories around the world have used the enzyme to build and study DNA. This has led to a clearer understanding of the biochemical basis of genetics, as well as new strategies for treating cancer and hereditary diseases.

Kornberg was born in Brooklyn, New York, on March 3, 1918, to Joseph Kornberg and Lena Katz. An exceptional student, he graduated at age fifteen from Abraham Lincoln High School. Supported by a scholarship, he enrolled in the...