Elizabeth Blackburn: A Nobel Prize-Winning Researcher Discovers Why We Get Old
The woman who broke scientific world records
After years of trying to answer questions about the mysterious “blobs” at the end of our chromosomes, Elizabeth Blackburn, a trailblazing Australian-American scientist, was finally holding in her hands the answers to “why we get old?”
It was 1984, not long after Elizabeth received tenure, which she says, made her feel “very brave” to do whatever she wanted in her own lab — or her playground, as she prefers to call it — located in San Francisco, California.
But that’s not where her story begins.
Elizabeth grew up in Launceston, Tasmania, Australia. She was surrounded by “books, science, and love of knowledge”, which she says was “part of growing up.” She has always loved animals. As a child, she used to pick up lethal jellyfish at the beach and sing to them.
She says it was curiosity that drove her to science, although she has a good measure of scientific blood running through her veins, coming from a long lineage of scientists and physicians.
Her family moved to Melbourne, mainland Australia, when she was in High School. That’s also where Elizabeth went on to complete her undergraduate and master’s degrees. But it was the UK where she got her PhD and where she met her husband, whom she married in 1974. They moved to the US when he was offered a position at Yale in California, which is also where she started her career.
Elizabeth has that typically British, reserved look to her: she stands tall, typically dressed in some kind of skirt-suit, which is nearly always complimented by a pearl necklace. She also has a distinct scientist look. Her slightly scruffy “bob” worn the same way for years, asymmetrically parted to one side, just enough to expose her horizontally elongated thick glasses — a testament to the countless hours spent deep in research.
Elizabeth is the first Australian woman to win the Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine
But don’t let her demure looks fool you; this scientist is in a league of her own. Elizabeth is the first Australian woman to win the Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine and the first female President of the Salk Institute. This is in addition to Elizabeth’s exceedingly long list of awards, published papers, and distinguished positions within the medical, academic, and political environments.
She is best known for the discovery of telomeres: the protective caps on the ends of chromosomes — which she compares to shoelace caps — that help to maintain the stability of the genome. Elizabeth and her team found that telomeres shorten as cells divide, and that this process is associated with aging and the development of age-related diseases.
When she starts talking, at first, you notice the deep baritone voice expressed in an early, British-influenced, Australian accent. She still uses words such as “ghastly” and “wicked” and talks with her hands, akin to a royal’s gentle wave, which is probably why some lovingly refer to her as “Lady Elizabeth”. Even though her language reminds one that she comes from another era, the questions she attempts to solve reflect her young and curious spirit.
And when you actually listen to what she’s saying, you soon discover a slightly mischievous and relatable soul. Suddenly, you begin to understand why she has come so far. Elizabeth explains science in a way that a 5-year-old could grasp — often using metaphors and similes — comparing complex scientific objects to simple everyday things, such as shoelaces.
Even now, at 74, everything about science seems to be fun for this researcher who uses words such as “adorable” to describe the microorganisms she studies. And when asked what aspect of her career gives her the most satisfaction, she says that it’s when she can see the puzzle solving, “when you do the science, and you’re starting to see the answer”.
Many have tried to decode her secret to success; however, the biggest thing that she credits to her success is collaboration and sharing information with others, and says that it makes her “sad when others get very protective about their [research] results and won’t talk about it until it’s published”, hindering progress within the scientific ecosystem.
Elizabeth calls herself fortunate for living in a society where curiosity is valued and credits her high school biology and chemistry teacher for encouraging her curiosity by making chemistry fun.
When asked about advice for aspiring scientists, Elizabeth says one should develop expertise in a specific area, collaborate with others — what she calls “spilling the beans” — and bring something to the table. She says that nothing beats very hard work, especially in the early stages of one's career in research.
Having had her son early in her career, Elizabeth says that she had to organise her work differently, more on a schedule. Today, she feels strongly about supporting and keeping women who choose to have a family, in their scientific careers.
Sylvia Dziuba is an Australian writer specialising in topics about health, business and culture. She is the author of “Go to Sleep Late; and other advice for night owls”.
