Green fluorescent protein, GFP, has existed in the ocean for over 160 million years and was first isolated from the bioluminescent Aequorea victoria, or crystal jelly. Its discovery revolutionized science by allowing scientists to see things they weren’t able to see before. 
Martin Chalfie, who shared the 2008 Nobel Prize in chemistry, will deliver a public talk April 11 at noon in the Lory Student Center, Ballroom 350A, at Colorado State University.
Chalfie, a professor at Columbia University, is renowned for receiving the Nobel Prize in chemistry, along with Osamu Shimomura and Roger Y. Tsien, for the discovery and development of green fluorescent protein, GFP.
‘Lighting up Life’
GFP, isolated from a species of jellyfish, glows fluorescent when exposed to light and has allowed scientists all over the world to investigate biological phenomena in living tissue; making it possible for them to actually watch life happen.
Chalfie’s talk, “GFP: Lighting up Life” will tell the story of this revolutionary discovery and bust commonly-held myths about scientists and how they work.
The free, public event will be followed by a reception and is sponsored by CSU’s Department of Biomedical Sciences, the Molecular, Cellular & Integrative Neurosciences program, and the Department of Cell and Molecular Biology.
