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To Err and Win a Nobel Prize: Paul Boyer, ATP Synthase and the Emergence of Bioenergetics

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Abstract

Paul Boyer shared a Nobel Prize in1997 for his work on the mechanism of ATPsynthase. His earlier work, though (whichcontributed indirectly to his triumph),included major errors, both experimental andtheoretical. Two benchmark cases offer insightinto how scientists err and how they deal witherror. Boyer's work also parallels andillustrates the emergence of bioenergetics inthe second half of the twentieth century,rivaling achievements in evolution andmolecular biology.

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Allchin, D. To Err and Win a Nobel Prize: Paul Boyer, ATP Synthase and the Emergence of Bioenergetics. Journal of the History of Biology 35, 149–172 (2002). https://doi.org/10.1023/A:1014583721788

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