NOBEL LAUREATE DISCUSSION / Amateur spirit leads to chemistry award

Written by changthai11 on Sunday, October 12th, 2008

Osamu Shimomura shared the 2008 Nobel Prize in Chemistry with two American researchers Wednesday, the second Japanese success in as many days, following Makoto Kobayashi and Toshihide Masukawa’s sharing of the physics prize with naturalized American Yoichiro Nambu on Tuesday.

Shigeyuki Koide, The Yomiuri Shimbun’s science editor, spoke by telephone with U.S.-based Shimomura, an 80-year-old professor emeritus at Boston University, from the newspaper’s Tokyo headquarters early Thursday.

Joining Shimomura in the telephone discussion were two other Japanese Nobel laureates–Leo Esaki, 83, chairman of the Science and Technology Promotion Foundation of Ibaraki and joint winner of the 1973 physics prize, and 2001 chemistry laureate Ryoji Noyori, 70, president of Riken, formerly the Institute of Physical and Chemical Science.

Shimomura has produced his world-class research in the United States, and the three discussed the differences between the two country’s research climates and the joys and sorrows of their studies. They also had a message for budding scientists.

The Yomiuri Shimbun: Professor Shimomura, congratulations on your award. It was a long journey for you, but could you tell us how you heard of your prize?

Shimomura: I was really surprised when I received the call from Stockholm at 5 a.m. It was unexpected because I thought I had a better chance of winning the prize in physiology or medicine announced on Monday. I didn’t think [my work] had any bearing on the chemistry prize and so I just went to bed.

Esaki: Congratulations. You did excellent advanced work in the field of life sciences and I feel proud as a Japanese.

Noyori: Congratulations. You say [your work] bears no relation with chemistry, but your accomplishments were backed up by Japan’s longstanding strength in organic chemistry.

Professor Shimomura, after discovering green fluorescent protein (GFP) in Aequorea victoria jellyfish (crystal jelly), it came to be used in a wide range of research fields, including life science and medicine.

Shimomura: It led to wide-ranging applications, but it was other researchers who did this. I just found aequorin, a luminous substance, in crystal jelly and GFP, which glows in [aequorin's] light.

Professor Shimomura, before moving to the United States, you studied under the late Dr. Yoshimasa Hirata (1915-2000) at Nagoya University and successfully extracted luciferins (light emitting biological pigments) from sea-firefly. What kind of person was Professor Hirata?

Shimomura: I got the impression that he was always conducting experiments in the laboratory when he wasn’t in the classroom. He was an outstanding teacher whom I couldn’t hope to emulate.

Noyori: I also worked with Dr. Hirata. He said that by taking the tough path you could do what others do not do. He also said that he did not want to do anything for which he knew the answer. I think Professor Shimomura opened up new realms [of science] by adopting a similar approach.

Shimomura: I just worked on the themes given to me. Even the study of crystal jelly was given to me by Dr. [Frank] Johnson (Shimomura’s former teacher at Princeton University). I think I was very fortunate to have two excellent teachers who gave me good themes to work on.

Noyori: At that time, it was an accepted theory that luciferins were connected with the phenomenon of luminescence, but Professor Shimomura’s [discovery of] GFP was original.

Shimomura: The study of jellyfish was extremely arduous at first. We initially thought [the luminescence came from] luciferins, but we made no progress with our research. Things went well after we studied whether the [luminescence was caused by] a new substance. We found aequorin first, and GFP as a by-product of that research. This is what earned me the prize.

Esaki: This [discovery] has been useful in the unraveling of various new mechanisms and has come to be regarded as a great achievement toward the development of new scientific fields.

[GFP] has also been applied to molecular imaging, a process that observes movements within cells.

Noyori: Professor Shimomura, your work initially sprang from a pure curiosity about why crystal jelly were luminous. When did you realize that this research had practical applications?

Shimomura: In 1967, five years after I discovered GFP, a physiology researcher proved its relation with the contraction of muscles. That was when I clearly understood how useful it was.

Professor Shimomura, what kind of atmosphere did you study in as a student?

Shimomura: The atomic bombing of Nagasaki meant that the pharmacy department affiliated with Nagasaki Medical College (now Nagasaki University’s School of Pharmaceutical Sciences) had to set up in a temporary facility rented at a training school for aircrews in Isahaya [in Nagasaki Prefecture]. I wasn’t able to study properly amid the postwar chaos.

After graduation from the pharmacy department, you found work with a pharmaceuticals company, didn’t you?

Shimomura: I joined the country’s largest pharmaceutical company thinking I might be able to perform research work. But a kind person at the interview pointed out that I wasn’t suited to working for a company. I picked up most of my knowledge after entering Nagoya University as a research student. Dr. Hirata’s classes had a good atmosphere, in which I could study and think for myself.

Noyori: I heard that Dr. Hirata often told [his students] to “go on and do great work.”

Shimomura: Yes, that’s what he said.

You have lived in the United States and conducted research there for many years. Do you see any differences between the research environments in Japan and the United States?

Shimomura: The situation now is different than the old days. When I first came to the United States, plenty of research funding was available and I could freely conduct research. Now, it has become harder to secure research funds in the United States [than in Japan].

Esaki: It seems that the United States has been historically generous in giving foreign researchers the opportunity to apply their skills on its soil.

Shimomura: Since I discovered aequorin, I’ve received generous research funding. Because of this, my research went very well. But later, funding virtually disappeared because my research was taking a long time.

Esaki: If you had stayed in Japan, do you think you still would have discovered the green fluorescent protein?

Shimomura: To be honest, if I’d stayed in Japan, I don’t think I would’ve succeeded in aequorin research. I’ve had a great deal of freedom in the United States.

Esaki: Professor Susumu Tonegawa also studied at Kyoto University, but he carried out his study on the immune system in the United States–which later led to the Nobel Prize.

Noyori: I mainly conducted research in Japan, and spent some time at Harvard University. The biggest difference between Japan and the United States is that there are many occasions to promote interaction among researchers from different fields in the United States. In Japan, I had the impression that researchers tend to withdraw into their academic shells.

Professor Shimomura often emphasizes having an interest in matters unrelated to your research will benefit your specialty.

Shimomura: The most important thing while conducting research is judgment. We need to make judgments all the time to prevent mistakes. If we have the chance to change our environment and enjoy our hobbies it will help improve our research.

I’ve heard you sometimes describe yourself as an amateur scientist.

Shimomura: I am an amateur. I barely received an organic chemistry education.

Do you mean you were self-taught?

Shimomura: That’s right. I’m an amateur because I taught myself organic chemistry. But I believe the way an amateur thinks is very important.

Esaki: Is that because amateurs are considered to have free spirits?

Shimomura: Yes. Amateurs are unhampered by any sort of precedents and established practice, and make their own judgments. I was able to extract aequorin because I thought other researchers’ ideas were wrong.

Esaki: So you worked out a new way to extract aequorin.

Shimomura: In the case of aequorin, I became successful because I tried to extract only the illuminating substance.

Noyori: I believe amateurism and self-education are important. Of course, it’s fine to be taught basic things. But if we adhere only to what we’re taught, originality will fade away. We have to shake it off to find new things. It’s regrettable that today’s Japanese education puts too much importance on classroom teaching.

Shimomura: Researchers find out things on their own, not only through being taught.

Noyori: I agree with you.

I understand you got an idea for your research when you were moored off a beach.

Shimomura: At that time, I thought day and night for a week about how I could collect the illuminating substance. [I was so focused] I barely acknowledged my wife when she talked to me.

Esaki: How old were you at that time?

Shimomura: I was 32.

Esaki: I also was 32 years old when I invented the Esaki tunnel diode [which was awarded a Nobel Prize]. [At that time,] I had an amateur spirit and a great amount of enthusiasm.

Could you give some advice to young people?

Shimomura: Anyone can find an interesting idea when he or she is young. The important thing is to follow through. Even if something is difficult, it’s impossible to achieve without overcoming obstacles. It seems young people these days choose research that is easy to achieve. If they’re interested in a subject, I want them to push forward toward their goal, even if they encounter difficulties. I don’t want them to give up on their goals.

Esaki: Once a Nobel Prize is awarded, the winner becomes more strongly connected to society. Your words attract people’s attention. You become more busy, so please take care of yourself.

Shimomura: It’s a hard job, isn’t it?

Noyori: I want younger people to learn lots of things about the prizewinner’s life, their attitude to life, not only their achievements. I think the life of Professor Shimomura is unique, so I hope young researchers live their lives with lofty goals and view Professor Shimomura as a role model. I wish you every success in your current endeavors.

Discussion participants

Osamu Shimomura: Professor emeritus at Boston University

Ryoji Noyori: President of Riken research institute for physical and chemical sciences and recipient of the 2001 Nobel Prize in Chemistry

Leo Esaki: President of Yokohama College of Pharmacy and recipient of the 1973 Nobel Prize in Physics

Moderator: Shigeyuki Koike, science news editor of The Yomiuri Shimbun