When Paul Modrich was 15 years old, he convinced his father to order samples of radioactive isotopes of different substances. At that time, small amounts of radioactive isotopes could be purchased without a license. Modrich made solutions of isotopes in which he then put seeds to germinate and leaves that absorbed the isotopes. He also injected isotopes into frogs. He could then use X-ray photographs to see how the substances were distributed in the sprouts, the leaves and the frogs.
Paul Modrich donated the photographs to the Nobel Prize Museum in 2015.
The picture shows the structure of the protein MutS alpha, which was discovered by Paul Modrich in 1996. The protein is vital in detecting when errors have occurred in the replication of DNA molecules in our cells. A few years after Modrich's discovery, Lorena Beese determined the structure of the protein. It hung in Paul Modrich’s laboratory until he donated it to the Nobel Prize Museum.
Paul Modrich donated the image to the Nobel Prize Museum in 2015.
