born Dec. 28, 1944, Lenoir, N.C., U.S.
U.S. biochemist.
He received his doctorate from the University of California at Berkeley. In 1983 he invented the polymerase chain reaction , with which scientists can determine the order of nucleotides in a gene, use genetic fingerprinting to identify individuals by their DNA patterns, study evolution, and make medical diagnoses. He did his prizewinning research at Cetus Corp. and later became a freelance consultant. He shared a 1993 Nobel Prize with Michael Smith (b. 1932). He is known for his freewheeling personal style and his iconoclastic opinions and writings, including Dancing Naked in the Mind Field (1998).