Riaan 
UStanford umemezele ukufa esitatimendeni. Asizange sinikezwe isizathu.
Umbuzo kaDkt. Berg – njengoba yena nabanye ososayensi ngeminyaka yawo-1950 kanye nawo-1960 bafunda kabanzi mayelana i-double-helix Ukwakheka kwe-DNA – kwaba ukuthi kungenzeka yini ukudlulisa, kusuka kwesinye isilwane kuya kwesinye, izingcezu zolwazi lofuzo. Impumelelo inganikeza izazi zebhayoloji nabacwaningi bezokwelapha ikhithi yamathuluzi entsha ngokuphelele, eyake yabhekwa njengendawo yezindaba eziqanjiwe zesayensi mayelana nokwenza i-cloning.
Ngo-1972, wanikeza impendulo. UDkt. Berg ushicilele iphepha kujenali yesayensi elaveza ukuthi wayexube i-DNA evela kubhaktheriya we-E. coli kanye negciwane, i-SV40, elixhumene nezimila ezinkawini futhi zitheleleka kubantu. Kwalandela isiphithiphithi.
Izazi zezimiso zezokwelapha zabuza ukuthi ingabe uDkt. Berg wayedlala ngokuhleleka kwemvelo ngokudala lokho okwaziwa ngokuthi i-DNA recombinant. Izikhulu zezempilo zomphakathi nabanye bazibuza ukuthi ukushintsha i-DNA kungadala yini izinhlupho ezintsha noma kudale izinhlekelele zemvelo. “Ingabe lena yimpendulo yephupho likaDkt. Frankenstein?” kamuva wabuza U-Alfred Vellucciimeya yaseCambridge, Mass., ikhaya leNyuvesi yaseHarvard kanye neMassachusetts Institute of Technology.
UDkt Berg, naye, wayenokukhathazeka. Wamisa isikhashana ukuhlola kwakhe nge-SV40 kanye ne-E. coli, engakhululekile ngenxa yokuhlanganisa i-DNA yegciwane elibangela isifo kanye nebhaktheriya elivamile lamathumbu.
Incwadi yango-1974 uDkt. Berg eyasayinwa nozakwabo abayi-10, eyanyatheliswa kumagazini Isayensi, yaphawula “ukukhathazeka okukhulu ngokuthi amanye ala mangqamuzana e-DNA enziwe kabusha angaba yingozi ezintweni eziphilayo.” Le ncwadi yabiza umhlangano wamazwe ngamazwe womphakathi wesayensi ukuze “kubhekwane nezingozi ezingase zibe khona zamangqamuzana e-DNA aphinde ahlanganiswe.”
I ukubuthana senzeka endaweni yangaphambili yesonto ePacific Grove, Calif., ngoFebruary 1975 nososayensi abangaphezu kuka-140 abavela emhlabeni wonke. Bavumelana nesethi evamile yezimiso eyayihlanganisa imingcele ezinhlotsheni zezakhi zofuzo ezisetshenziswayo kanye nokuvikela ukugcina i-DNA ehlangene ivalelwe ezindaweni zokucwaninga. Imihlahlandlela ifinyelelwe e-Asilomar Conference Centre zamukelwa ngo-1976 yiNational Institutes of Health kanye namaqembu afanayo okuqondisa kwamanye amazwe.
Imithetho eminingi eyisisekelo ebekwe yingqungquthela iye yabuyekezwa noma yahoxiswa njengoba abacwaningi bethuthukisa ukuqonda okukhulu kofuzo. Kodwa-ke uma ubheka emuva, ukucabanga okubi kakhulu kweminyaka yokuqala kwakufanelekile, abacwaningi abaningi bathi.
“Bekufanele siqaphe kakhulu,” uGeorge Rathmann, owayeyisikhulu esiphezulu senkampani ye-biotech i-Amgen, wathi ngo-2005. “Awukwazi ukubuyisela lezi zinto ebhodleleni.”
Abanye ababambiqhaza, nokho, bachaze uDkt. Berg nabanye njengabangaphezu kwezingozi ezingaba khona ezivela ekutholweni kwezakhi zofuzo.
“Kwakungumfanekiso wenkathi yaseVietnam kanye nomlando wangaphambili,” Waclaw Szybalski, ngaleso sikhathi owayenguprofesa nesazi sezakhi zofuzo e-University of Wisconsin eMadison, watshela i-Science News ngo-1985. “Izazi zefiziksi zazinecala lebhomu le-athomu, kanti osokhemisi babenecala le-napalm. Izazi zezinto eziphilayo zazizama kanzima ukuba necala lokuthile.”
UDkt. Berg wema ngesixwayiso sakhe ngaleso sikhathi. “Angikwazi ukusho ukuthi akukho bungozi obuthile,” ukhumbula iminyaka eminingana ngemva kokuklonyeliswa Umklomelo weNobel kukhemistri ngo-1980. Wabelana ngomklomelo nabanye abacwaningi bofuzo ababili, uWalter Gilbert kanye UFrederick Sanger.
IKomiti KaNobel yaphawula indlela ukucwaninga kukaDkt. Berg okuyingqalo ekushintsheni amangqamuzana e-DNA “okuye kwaphumela ekuthuthukisweni kobuchwepheshe obusha, ngokuvamile obubizwa ngokuthi ubunjiniyela bezakhi zofuzo noma ukuguqulwa kwezakhi zofuzo.”
Lokho futhi kwaletha amathuba amakhulu okuhweba kulokho okwaba yimboni ye-biotech, kusukela ezitshalweni ezishintshwe izakhi kuya kumakhulu ezidakamizwa nokwelapha. Imikhiqizo yokuqala ngeminyaka yawo-1980 yayihlanganisa imigomo yezinhlobo ze-hepatitis kanye i-insulin. Ngaphambilini, i-insulin ephuma ezilwaneni ezinjengezinkomo nezingulube yayisetshenziswa ekwelapheni abantu.
I-Recombinant DNA isetshenziswe kumasosha omzimba we-monoclonal angasetshenziswa njengengxenye yokwelashwa kwe-covid, kanye nasemgomeni wakamuva we-coronavirus, Novavaxeyanikezwa imvume ephuthumayo yi-US Food and Drug Administration ngonyaka odlule.
Ekulashwa ngezakhi zofuzo, abacwaningi bahlola izindlela zokusebenzisa Isekelwe ku-CRISPR ubuchwepheshe – isikelo sofuzo esingafaka, silungise noma sihlele izakhi zofuzo – ezimweni ezibangelwa ukuguquka kofuzo njenge-cystic fibrosis, i-Duchenne muscular dystrophy nesifo sika-Huntington.
UDkt. Berg akazange anikeze igunya lobunikazi ngalokho akutholile, evumela izinkampani ezenza imithi nabanye abacwaningi ukuthi bathuthukise umsebenzi wakhe.
“Wenze isayensi,” kusho yena, “ngoba wawuthanda.”
UPaul Berg wazalwa ngoJuni 30, 1926, eBrooklyn njengomunye wamadodana amathathu kababa owayesebenza ekukhiqizeni izingubo kanye nomama owayengumenzi wasekhaya. Esikoleni esiphakeme, isithakazelo sakhe ocwaningweni saqala ukuvuswa owesifazane ogama lakhe linguSophie Wolfe, owayephethe iklabhu yesayensi ngemva kwamakilasi, walandisa.
Phakathi neMpi Yezwe II, wazama ukubhalisa eneminyaka engu-17 ukuba abe umshayeli wendiza yeNavy, kodwa wenqatshwa ngenxa yeminyaka yakhe. Kamuva wenza ukuqeqeshwa kwendiza yokuqala ngesikhathi efunda ePennsylvania State University. Wabizwa phakathi nempi futhi wakhonza emikhunjini e-Atlantic nasePacific. UDkt Berg wathweswa iziqu ngo-1948 ePenn State, futhi wathola iziqu zakhe zobudokotela eNyuvesi yaseWestern Reserve (manje eyiCase Western Reserve University) ngo-1952.
UDkt. Berg wenza umsebenzi we-postdoctoral ocwaningweni lomdlavuza futhi wayengumsizi kaprofesa wesayensi yezinto eziphilayo eWashington University School of Medicine kusukela ngo-1955 kuya ku-1959, lapho amukela isikhundla esikoleni sezokwelapha saseStanford.
Ekuqaleni kwawo-1980 wahola umkhankaso owaqoqa imali engaphezu kwezigidi ezingu-50 zamaRandi ukuze kwakhiwe i-Beckman Centre for Molecular and Genetic Medicine, eyavulwa ngo-1989. UDkt. Berg wasebenza njengomqondisi walesi sikhungo kwaze kwaba ngu-2000.
Ngo-2004, uDkt. Berg wayengomunye wabahlomuli beNobel abangu-20 abasayina incwadi incwadi evulekile egomela ngokuthi ukuphatha kukaMongameli uGeorge W. Bush kwakuvimba noma kuhlanekezela ubufakazi besayensi ukusekela izinqumo zenqubomgomo. Le ncwadi icaphuna ukweqiwa kwedatha yokuguquguquka kwesimo sezulu noma izinqumo zokuziba ukuhlaziya kwesayensi obekungabaza izimangalo zeWhite House ngamakhono ezikhali zase-Iraq ngaphambi kokuhlasela okuholwa yi-US ngo-2003.
UDkt. Berg washada noMildred Levy ngo-1947; washona ngo-2021. Abasindile bahlanganisa indodana, uJohn.
UDkt. Berg wanikeza omunye umnikelo kubhayoloji yamangqamuzana: i-lingo. Ihlaya eliphindaphindayo emibuthanweni yocwaningo lisho isikhathi sokutholwa kokuhlukaniswa kofuzo. Noma yini ngaphambi kwalokho ingu-“BC,” ngaphambi kokuhlanganisa.
