Hamilton Othanel Smith Encyclopedia Article

Hamilton Othanel Smith

The following sections of this BookRags Literature Study Guide is offprint from Gale's For Students Series: Presenting Analysis, Context, and Criticism on Commonly Studied Works: Introduction, Author Biography, Plot Summary, Characters, Themes, Style, Historical Context, Critical Overview, Criticism and Critical Essays, Media Adaptations, Topics for Further Study, Compare & Contrast, What Do I Read Next?, For Further Study, and Sources.

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The following sections, if they exist, are offprint from Beacham's Encyclopedia of Popular Fiction: "Social Concerns", "Thematic Overview", "Techniques", "Literary Precedents", "Key Questions", "Related Titles", "Adaptations", "Related Web Sites". (c)1994-2005, by Walton Beacham.

The following sections, if they exist, are offprint from Beacham's Guide to Literature for Young Adults: "About the Author", "Overview", "Setting", "Literary Qualities", "Social Sensitivity", "Topics for Discussion", "Ideas for Reports and Papers". (c)1994-2005, by Walton Beacham.

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Hamilton Othanel Smith

1931-

American molecular biologist who received the 1978 Nobel Prize for Physiology or Medicine, which he shared with Daniel Nathans and Werner Arber, for the discovery of restriction enzymes. Restriction enzymes are proteins that cut DNA chains and allow for modification of DNA molecules. This breakthrough opened up the field of biotechnology. Biotechnology companies now use hundreds of these restriction enzymes to make synthetic hormones and insulin, forming the basis for gene therapy, and for gene-mapping research, such as conducted by the Human Genome Project.