{"id":3831,"date":"2024-09-27T15:16:53","date_gmt":"2024-09-27T19:16:53","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/toronto1.one\/?p=3831"},"modified":"2024-12-04T08:18:46","modified_gmt":"2024-12-04T13:18:46","slug":"biography-of-martin-kamen-the-toronto-scientist-behind-carbon-14","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/toronto1.one\/en\/eternal\/biography-of-martin-kamen-the-toronto-scientist-behind-carbon-14-3831","title":{"rendered":"Biography of Martin Kamen: The Toronto Scientist Behind Carbon-14"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p>Professor Martin Kamen was a co-discoverer of the radioactive isotope carbon-14, a breakthrough that transformed biochemistry as a tracer for chemical processes in plants and revolutionized archaeology through its application in radiocarbon dating. Carbon-14 enabled scientists to date fossils and ancient artifacts as old as 50,000 years. Among Kamen\u2019s most significant <a href=\"https:\/\/toronto1.one\/uk\/eternal\/toronto-metropolitan-university-istoriya-czikavi-fakty-2573\">contributions<\/a> was confirming that oxygen released during photosynthesis originates from water, not carbon dioxide. Read more on <a href=\"https:\/\/toronto1.one\/\">toronto1.one<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<div id=\"ez-toc-container\" class=\"ez-toc-v2_0_74 counter-hierarchy ez-toc-counter ez-toc-custom ez-toc-container-direction\">\n<label for=\"ez-toc-cssicon-toggle-item-6a69b9813452f\" class=\"ez-toc-cssicon-toggle-label\"><span class=\"\"><span class=\"eztoc-hide\" style=\"display:none;\">Toggle<\/span><span class=\"ez-toc-icon-toggle-span\"><svg style=\"fill: #999;color:#999\" xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" class=\"list-377408\" width=\"20px\" height=\"20px\" viewBox=\"0 0 24 24\" fill=\"none\"><path d=\"M6 6H4v2h2V6zm14 0H8v2h12V6zM4 11h2v2H4v-2zm16 0H8v2h12v-2zM4 16h2v2H4v-2zm16 0H8v2h12v-2z\" fill=\"currentColor\"><\/path><\/svg><svg style=\"fill: #999;color:#999\" class=\"arrow-unsorted-368013\" xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" width=\"10px\" height=\"10px\" viewBox=\"0 0 24 24\" version=\"1.2\" baseProfile=\"tiny\"><path d=\"M18.2 9.3l-6.2-6.3-6.2 6.3c-.2.2-.3.4-.3.7s.1.5.3.7c.2.2.4.3.7.3h11c.3 0 .5-.1.7-.3.2-.2.3-.5.3-.7s-.1-.5-.3-.7zM5.8 14.7l6.2 6.3 6.2-6.3c.2-.2.3-.5.3-.7s-.1-.5-.3-.7c-.2-.2-.4-.3-.7-.3h-11c-.3 0-.5.1-.7.3-.2.2-.3.5-.3.7s.1.5.3.7z\"\/><\/svg><\/span><\/span><\/label><input type=\"checkbox\"  id=\"ez-toc-cssicon-toggle-item-6a69b9813452f\"  aria-label=\"Toggle\" \/><nav><ul class='ez-toc-list ez-toc-list-level-1 ' ><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-1\" href=\"https:\/\/toronto1.one\/en\/eternal\/biography-of-martin-kamen-the-toronto-scientist-behind-carbon-14-3831\/#What_is_Carbon-14\" >What is Carbon-14?<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-2\" href=\"https:\/\/toronto1.one\/en\/eternal\/biography-of-martin-kamen-the-toronto-scientist-behind-carbon-14-3831\/#Key_Findings_in_Kamens_Research\" >Key Findings in Kamen\u2019s Research<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-3\" href=\"https:\/\/toronto1.one\/en\/eternal\/biography-of-martin-kamen-the-toronto-scientist-behind-carbon-14-3831\/#Martin_Kamens_Experiments\" >Martin Kamen\u2019s Experiments<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-4\" href=\"https:\/\/toronto1.one\/en\/eternal\/biography-of-martin-kamen-the-toronto-scientist-behind-carbon-14-3831\/#Teaching_and_Recognition\" >Teaching and Recognition<\/a><\/li><\/ul><\/nav><\/div>\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"What_is_Carbon-14\"><\/span>What is Carbon-14?<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>The discovery of carbon-14 was one of Martin Kamen\u2019s greatest achievements, made in collaboration with Sam Ruben. This groundbreaking work fundamentally changed science. As of 2024, carbon-14 is crucial for understanding biochemical reactions involving carbon. Kamen himself used carbon-14 to study metabolism and photosynthesis\u2014key processes for life on Earth. The isotope is widely employed by chemists, biochemists, molecular biologists, medical researchers, archaeologists, and geologists.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Radiocarbon dating has allowed scientists to estimate the age of archaeological and anthropological artifacts up to 60,000 years old, and it has even been used to determine the authenticity of paintings. More recently, environmental scientists have applied carbon-14 to study the distribution and turnover of carbon dioxide in the environment.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/cdn.toronto1.one\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/35\/2024\/12\/ad_4nxddfxy3s0j9qtzd83p3sdhuooo3ac_kjxzvbjor8lrxu0h4t76sibflqhc6obebmz1b6wl30fbzt7fx_yqyxoselthhenbl2i6exgowrqkq_dqc4kytvvoxmtxv75u3z-pkzutykeydtgflouujwwk5cn6hkvywj3s.png\" alt=\"\" \/><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Key_Findings_in_Kamens_Research\"><\/span>Key Findings in Kamen\u2019s Research<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>In 1937, after completing his doctoral research on neutron scattering, Kamen began his career as a radiochemist at the University of California, Berkeley, under the leadership of Ernest O. Lawrence. There, he used carbon-11, produced in Berkeley\u2019s cyclotron, to trace chemical and biochemical processes. However, its short half-life of 21 minutes limited its utility.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Although the existence of carbon-14 had been postulated in 1934, it had not been observed or characterized until Kamen successfully prepared enough C-14 to measure its beta emission energy and lifetime. Its remarkably long half-life of 5,700 years was unexpected and distinguished it from theoretical predictions.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/cdn.toronto1.one\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/35\/2024\/12\/ad_4nxfrrapwzuphxdm6kzbgvxczezlq1dprxbc2817pvixb0pglbnjeqskpofhcu_y3vt8pv0pe3sig_pfxokbnmj32bnaie441uuthojqvzh_-lomg3xgfh91qbi8-j6nbx8fi7djx6akeydtgflouujwwk5cn6hkvywj3s.png\" alt=\"\" \/><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p>Kamen\u2019s research repeatedly returned to two central themes: photosynthesis and the broader issue of CO\u2082 assimilation. In 1938, collaborating with Sam Ruben and others, Kamen demonstrated that the source of molecular oxygen released during photosynthesis is water, not carbon dioxide.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Martin_Kamens_Experiments\"><\/span>Martin Kamen\u2019s Experiments<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>During World War II, Kamen\u2019s liberal ideas and sociable nature drew the scrutiny of government security agencies, including the FBI. In 1944, he was falsely accused of being a security risk and dismissed from the Berkeley Radiation Laboratory. For over a decade, Kamen fought unsuccessfully in court to clear his name and reclaim his passport, which was denied despite invitations to scientific conferences abroad.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>In 1945, Kamen joined the Mallinckrodt Institute of Radiology at Washington University\u2019s medical school, where he oversaw the cyclotron production of radioisotopes for medical research. He continued his work on photosynthesis and cytochromes (respiratory proteins essential for oxygen reduction), using carbon-14 as a tracer in collaboration with university biochemists.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Kamen\u2019s innovative approach included using bacteria as model organisms instead of green plants, leveraging his prior research experience at Berkeley. This shift, influenced by comparative biochemistry, opened new avenues in microbiological studies and led to groundbreaking discoveries.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>In 1947, Kamen authored a seminal text, &#8220;Radioactive Tracers in Biology: An Introduction to Tracer Methodology&#8221;, which became a foundational resource in the field. The work went through three editions and three reprints by 1965, reflecting updates in methodology and advancements in nuclear science. It remains a classic guide to isotopic tracer techniques.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/cdn.toronto1.one\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/35\/2024\/12\/ad_4nxcp2ko-yxyw15ygv51x4v1wb-6hefevpjoeriqtjpzehkti1eg9qfoa6u0kegj4ffsc3droidlks18uha6ne-p3jw4myx0z7mi-2nx6egjwurwezdawfbewcn6sdcv2xaqeoj1lpakeydtgflouujwwk5cn6hkvywj3s.png\" alt=\"\" \/><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p>Throughout the 1950s and 1960s, Kamen\u2019s research into the metabolism of photosynthetic bacteria yielded significant findings, including nitrogen fixation and the photoevolution of molecular hydrogen. Working with his graduate student H. Gest, Kamen\u2019s discoveries paved the way for further studies. His identification of bacterial C-type cytochromes led to pioneering investigations of bacterial iron proteins, giving rise to the field of comparative cytochrome biochemistry and inspiring numerous studies on new protein classes.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Teaching_and_Recognition\"><\/span>Teaching and Recognition<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>Kamen served as a professor of biochemistry at Brandeis University (1957\u20131961) and later as a professor of chemistry at the University of California, San Diego (1961\u20131978). Between 1967 and 1970, he directed research at the National Center for Scientific Research&#8217;s Photosynthesis Laboratory in Gif-sur-Yvette, France. He also held positions at the University of Southern California, where he directed the Laboratory of Chemical-Biological Development (1974\u20131977) and the Department of Molecular Biology (1978).<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Kamen continued teaching well into his 80s and held a bachelor\u2019s and Ph.D. in chemistry from the University of Chicago. Over his career, he authored more than 300 scientific publications, reflecting the breadth and impact of his work. His textbook, &#8220;Isotopic Tracer Methods in Biology,&#8221; and his classic &#8220;Primary Processes in Photosynthesis&#8221; (1963) influenced generations of scientists. Kamen also penned an autobiography, &#8220;Radiant Science, Dark Politics: A Memoir of the Nuclear Age&#8221; (1985), detailing his life from 1937 to 1957.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/cdn.toronto1.one\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/35\/2024\/12\/ad_4nxekvdi4hddnxneoxrmijqfv89ef5kxtl6aogaj-acr79lssghyrivcdipfklq9ye6gpj83t4tpc_3vdvtw-lrttylxggddagtfzpmidym6ivldomejojkljc6uuobvsrajddwm-qwkeydtgflouujwwk5cn6hkvywj3s.png\" alt=\"\" \/><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p>Kamen received numerous honorary degrees from institutions including the University of Chicago, Washington University, the University of Illinois, Brandeis University, Freiburg University in Germany, and the Weizmann Institute of Science in Israel.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Kamen\u2019s accolades include:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>C.F. Kettering Award for Photosynthesis Research (1963\u20131970)<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Kettering Prize for Advances in Photosynthesis (1968)<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Merck Award of the American Society for Biological Chemists (1982)<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Einstein Prize from the World Cultural Council (1990)<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p>He was a member of the National Academy of Sciences, the American Academy of Arts and Sciences, and the American Philosophical Society.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Sources:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/senate.universityofcalifornia.edu\/_files\/inmemoriam\/html\/MartinDavidKamen.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">University of California Senate Tribute<\/a><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.consejoculturalmundial.org\/winners\/winner-science\/dr-martin-kamen\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">World Cultural Council Profile<\/a><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.chemeurope.com\/en\/encyclopedia\/Martin_Kamen.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">ChemEurope Encyclopedia Entry<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Professor Martin Kamen was a co-discoverer of the radioactive isotope carbon-14, a breakthrough that transformed biochemistry as a tracer for chemical processes in plants and revolutionized archaeology through its application in radiocarbon dating. Carbon-14 enabled scientists to date fossils and ancient artifacts as old as 50,000 years. Among Kamen\u2019s most significant contributions was confirming that [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":469,"featured_media":3385,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_lmt_disableupdate":"","_lmt_disable":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[1164],"tags":[2923,2911,2922,2924,2916,2917,2913,2921,2914,2910,2925,2912,2915,2919,2920,2918],"moimportance":[78,81],"motype":[1158],"moformat":[93],"class_list":{"0":"post-3831","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-business","8":"tag-archaeology","9":"tag-biochemist","10":"tag-biography","11":"tag-biography-of-toronto-scientist-martin-kamen","12":"tag-experiments","13":"tag-kamens-discovery","14":"tag-martin-kamen","15":"tag-martin-kamens-biography","16":"tag-martin-kamens-discovery","17":"tag-martin-kamens-research","18":"tag-photosynthesis","19":"tag-research","20":"tag-revolution","21":"tag-scientific-experiments","22":"tag-scientist","23":"tag-toronto-biochemists","24":"moimportance-golovna-novina","25":"moimportance-retranslyacziya-v-agregatori","26":"motype-eternal","27":"moformat-longrid-korotka"},"modified_by":"Katya Koshevaya","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/toronto1.one\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3831","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/toronto1.one\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/toronto1.one\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/toronto1.one\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/469"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/toronto1.one\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=3831"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/toronto1.one\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3831\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":3844,"href":"https:\/\/toronto1.one\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3831\/revisions\/3844"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/toronto1.one\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/3385"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/toronto1.one\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=3831"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/toronto1.one\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=3831"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/toronto1.one\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=3831"},{"taxonomy":"moimportance","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/toronto1.one\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/moimportance?post=3831"},{"taxonomy":"motype","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/toronto1.one\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/motype?post=3831"},{"taxonomy":"moformat","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/toronto1.one\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/moformat?post=3831"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}