The Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine 1958

George Wells Beadle

Photo from the Nobel Foundation archive.

Prize share: 1/4

Edward Lawrie Tatum

Photo from the Nobel Foundation archive.

Prize share: 1/4

Joshua Lederberg

Photo from the Nobel Foundation archive.

Prize share: 1/2

The Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine 1958 was divided, one half jointly to George Wells Beadle and Edward Lawrie Tatum "for their discovery that genes act by regulating definite chemical events" and the other half to Joshua Lederberg "for his discoveries concerning genetic recombination and the organization of the genetic material of bacteria"

To cite this section
MLA style: The Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine 1958. NobelPrize.org. Nobel Prize Outreach AB 2024. Sat. 21 Dec 2024. <https://www.nobelprize.org/prizes/medicine/1958/summary/>

Back to top Back To Top Takes users back to the top of the page

Nobel Prizes and laureates

Nobel Prizes 2024

Six prizes were awarded for achievements that have conferred the greatest benefit to humankind. The 12 laureates' work and discoveries range from proteins' structures and machine learning to fighting for a world free of nuclear weapons.

See them all presented here.

Illustration

Explore prizes and laureates

Look for popular awards and laureates in different fields, and discover the history of the Nobel Prize.