Columbia Encyclopedia

(Encyclopedia) Alter, Harvey James, 1935–, American virologist, b. New York City, M.D. Univ. of Rochester, 1960. He has been a researcher at the National Institutes of Health since 1969. The 2020 Nobel Prize in Ph...

(Encyclopedia) gibberellins jĭbˌərĕlˈĭnz [key], a group of growth-regulating substances of plants, having complex chemical structure, of which the best known, gibberellic acid, is noted for its promotion of st...

(Encyclopedia) Millennium Technology Prize, biennial award for innovations in technology, est. 2002 in Finland and bestowed by the Millennium Prize Foundation, an independent fund founded by members of Finnish indus...

(Encyclopedia) Osheroff, Douglas Dean, 1945–, American physicist, b. Aberdeen, Wash., Ph.D. Cornell, 1973. He was a professor at Cornell from 1973 to 1987, when he joined the faculty at Stanford. Osheroff was also...

(Encyclopedia) Pilobolus Dance Theater pīläbˈələs [key], innovative modern dance company formed (1971) by Moses Pendleton, Jonathan Wolken, Lee Harris, and Robby Barnett from a dance class given by Alison Chase...

(Encyclopedia) Durant, Thomas Clark, 1820–85, American railroad builder, chief figure in the construction of the Union Pacific RR, b. Lee, Mass. He was successful in building railroads in the Midwest, and, after t...

(Encyclopedia) Carlisle kärlīlˈ, kärˈlīl [key], borough (2020 pop. 19,236), seat of Cumberland co., S Pa.; inc. ...

(Encyclopedia) Coleman, Ornette, 1930–2015, African-American saxophonist and composer, b. Fort Worth, Tex. Largely self-taught, he began playing the alto saxophone in rhythm-and-blues bands. He later developed an ...

(Encyclopedia) Wolfensohn, James David, 1933–2020, Australian-American investment banker and financial executive, b. Sydney. Wolfensohn worked for banking institutions in Australia, London, and New York City, even...

(Encyclopedia) Sapir, Edward səpērˈ [key], 1884–1939, American linguist and anthropologist, b. Pomerania. Sapir was brought to the United States in 1889. After teaching at the Univ. of California and the Univ. ...