Known for his part in the discovery of G-proteins, Rodbell performed groundbreaking work in cell biology, specifically advancing knowledge regarding how cells communicate. For his work in this area, Rodbell shared the Nobel Prize in Medicine with scientist Alfred Gilman.

Rodbell was born on December 1, 1925 in Baltimore, Maryland. He attended a special high school in Baltimore that accepted boys from all over the city and prepared students to enter college as sophomores. The school emphasized languages, and Rodbell thought he might continue his language studies when he entered Johns Hopkins University in 1943. Rodbell, however, eventually became interested in chemistry.

Rodbell served in the Navy during World War II as a radio operator in the Philippine jungles until he contracted malaria. When he came back from the war, Rodbell continued his studies at Johns Hopkins, eventually concentrating his studies in biochemistry. Rodbell received a B.A. from Johns Hopkins...