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May 23
2009
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Robert F. Furchgott achieved much in his career as a biochemist, climaxing in the Nobel Prize for Medicine in 1998. In 1978 Furchgott discoved a substance in endothelial cells that relaxes bood vessels. After nearly a decade of investigation, he nailed down the properties of this substance - a simple compound known as nitric oxide (NO). NO enlarges blood vessels in the body and helps increase blood flow, which turned out to be a big bang of a discovery.
Why the Nobel? His work led to the development of one of the most popular recreational drugs since household adhesives - the little blue pill. Furchgott passed away last week at age 92. No word on how they got the lid closed on his coffin...
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