Stories
From Worst in Class to Nobel Laureate: The Incredible Story of John Gurdon
- •John Gurdon was ranked 250th out of 250 students in his biology class at Eton College, and his teacher dismissed his ambition of becoming a scientist as ridiculous.
- •Despite being removed from science classes and redirected to study languages for three years, Gurdon maintained his passion for collecting and studying insects and plants.
- •He eventually entered Oxford, switched to zoology, and earned first-class honours before pursuing doctoral research under Michail Fischberg.
- •In 1962, Gurdon proved that mature cell nuclei could direct development, challenging prevailing beliefs and laying the groundwork for modern cloning and cellular reprogramming.
- •He shared the Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine with Shinya Yamanaka in 2012, exactly six decades after receiving his disastrous school report.
Key Questions Answered
At Eton College, John Gurdon ranked 250th out of 250 students in his year group and was placed at the bottom of his biology class. His teacher complained that he would not listen and insisted on doing work in his own way, prompting the school to remove him from further science teaching.
In 1962, Gurdon demonstrated that the nucleus from a mature frog intestinal cell could be transferred into an egg cell and still direct development. This experiment challenged the belief that mature cells were permanently locked into specialized roles and laid the foundation for modern cloning and cellular reprogramming.
In 2012, six decades after receiving his disastrous school report, Gurdon shared the Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine with Japanese scientist Shinya Yamanaka. The award recognized their discoveries showing that mature, specialized cells can be reprogrammed into an immature, versatile state.
