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Marshall Warren Nirenberg And Minerva Bykowsky Nirenberg

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On April 10, 1927, Marshall Warren Nirenberg was born in New York City, New York to Harry Edward Nirenberg and Minerva Bykowsky Nirenberg. He also had a sister named Joan N. Geiger. His father was a shirt maker who owned a shirt-manufacturing company in New York. However, young Nirenberg developed rheumatic fever. As a result, the family moved to Orlando, Florida, where the subtropical climate substantially improved his health, in 1939, when Marshall was just twelve years old. Rather than just ameliorating his health, growing up in Florida was what inspired Nirenberg to become a scientist and kindled his love for biology. He became intrigued with the natural world through bird-watching and exploration of the nearby wetlands that had such a diverse ecology. Even as a teenager, Nirenberg was a keen observer of plant life, birds, and insects. He would make careful sketches and take notes of what he saw. Nirenberg was even provided with instructions from professionals, such as biochemists, who were at World War II training camps that were nearby. Nirenberg went to the University of Florida in Gainesville and received his Bachelor 's Science Degree in 1948 and a Master 's degree in Zoology in 1952, with his dissertation for his Master 's thesis on an ecological and taxonomic study of Trichoptera, or caddis flies. He then developed an interest for biochemistry during this time and went to the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor to finish his education. Nirenberg

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