Jonathan Widom (1955–2011)

Abstract

One of the fundamental paradoxes of DNA, life's most iconic molecule, is that nearly a metre of this polymer must be packed into the microscopic nucleus of every human cell while still granting access for the many biochemical and biophysical transactions needed to exploit its genetic information. Jonathan Widom rigorously and creatively applied physical and chemical principles to unravel the mystery of how genomes can at once be tightly packed and yet available for read-out. He did this over a 30-year career that ended unexpectedly and prematurely on 18 July 2011. He was 55.

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