How looking closely led this cell biologist to world-changing breakthroughs
Hear Randy Schekman, a UC Berkeley professor of Molecular and Cell Biology, explain his Nobel Prize-winning work in just 101 seconds.
September 18, 2024
For Randy Schekman, a UC Berkeley professor of Molecular and Cell Biology, the study of life and basic research has been a calling since he first explored pond scum under a microscope as a boy.
“I loved looking closely at life and thinking about how it works. And I still do,” says Schekman in this 101 in 101 video, challenging him to explain the basics of his work in only 101 seconds.
That love of looking closely and the deep study of cells, those of yeast in particular, led to Schekman’s Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine in 2013.
As he explains, the discovery of how yeast membranes work has led to advances in food and fuel production, as well as life-saving drugs and vaccines.
Today, Schekman is looking into human cells for secrets that might someday lead to a way to stop Parkinson’s disease. With as many as 10 million people around the world suffering from the disorder — including his wife, who died from the disease — it’s critical work.
Click here to watch previous 101 in 101 videos from Berkeley News featuring psychologist Alison Gopnik and landscape architect Walter Hood.