Joan Oró (1923-2003)
Joan oró
Joan Oró was the son of bakers from Lleida. He graduated in Chemistry from the University of Barcelona in 1947. Five years later he decided to emigrate to Houston with his family. There he obtained a PhD and went on to found the Department of Biochemical and Biophysical Sciences.
His main contribution consisted of showing that adenine could be created from cyanhydric acid, an abundant compound on primitive earth. Adenine is a molecule that forms part of DNA. It is vital to cell reproduction.
This research line led him to work closely with NASA and to continue to reflect on the origins of life. As he himself once stated, "maybe one day we will invent enough science and scientific ethics to stop humankind from being erased from the map".