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Thomas Cech
Jane Gitschier · CC BY 2.5
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Thomas Cech

American chemist, biochemistry professor

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Thomas Robert Cech (born 8 December 1947) is an American chemist who shared the 1989 Nobel Prize in Chemistry with Sidney Altman “for their discovery of catalytic properties of RNA.”

Quick facts

Born
wd
Place of birth
Chicago wd
Citizenship
United States wd
Occupation
biochemist, chemist, university teacher wd
Education
University of California, Berkeley, Grinnell College, Iowa City High School wd

Awards wd

  • Guggenheim Fellowship (1985)
  • Albert Lasker Award for Basic Medical Research (1988)
  • Nobel Prize in Chemistry (1989)
  • Canada Gairdner International Award (1988)
  • Pfizer Award in Enzyme Chemistry (1985)
  • National Medal of Science (1995)
  • Louisa Gross Horwitz Prize (1988)
  • Dr H.P. Heineken Prize for Biochemistry and Biophysics (1988)
  • Rosenstiel Award (1988)
  • NAS Award in Molecular Biology (1987)
  • Fellow of the AACR Academy (2016)
  • honorary doctor of Harvard University (2010)
  • Othmer Gold Medal (2007)
  • Newcomb Cleveland Prize (1986)
  • Distinguished Eagle Scout Award

About

Cech discovered that RNA could itself cut strands of RNA, suggesting that life might have started as RNA. He found that RNA can not only transmit instructions, but can act as a catalyst to speed up the necessary reactions.

He has also studied telomeres, and his lab discovered an enzyme, TERT (telomerase reverse transcriptase), which is part of the process of restoring telomeres after they are shortened during cell division.

As president of Howard Hughes Medical Institute (2000–2008) he promoted science education, and he teaches an undergraduate chemistry course at the University of Colorado.

Questions

When was Thomas Cech born?
Thomas Cech was born on 8 December 1947 in Chicago.
Where did Thomas Cech study?
Thomas Cech was educated at University of California, Berkeley, Grinnell College, Iowa City High School.

Sources

  1. Wikipedia (English): Thomas Cech · CC BY-SA 4.0
  2. Wikidata item Q135180 · CC0 1.0
  3. Image: Thomas Robert Cech.png by Jane Gitschier (CC BY 2.5)

Last updated · facts checked 14 November 2026

Cite this page

"Thomas Cech". DigiNepal. Last updated 31 October 2026. https://diginpl.com/people/thomas-cech. Retrieved 14 November 2026.

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Text from the Wikipedia article Thomas Cech, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0. This page's text is shared under the same licence. Facts from Wikidata (CC0). Image: Thomas Robert Cech.png — Jane Gitschier, CC BY 2.5.

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