From street waif in war-torn Italy to "knocking out" the genes of mice--Mario R. Capecchi shows how genius springs from the most unlikely beginnings. By Gary Stix Dr. Mario R. Cappechi Photo by lauradahl at Flickr Editor's note: This story was originally posted in the August 1999 issue, and has been reposted to highlight the long history of Nobelists publishing in Scientific American. In 1996 Japan's Inamori Foundation asked Mario R. Capecchi to review his life and work in an acceptance speech for the prestigious Kyoto Prize. Capecchi dutifully described his pathbreaking research on a precision method for insertion or deletion of genes in mice. The most compelling part of the talk, however, had nothing to do with mouse chimeras or positive-negative selection. Rather Capecchi recounted memories of a childhood with the makings...
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