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Discovering Taq Polymerase: Yellowstone's Gift to Science

9/30/2025

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Summary

Story summary

Taq polymerase, discovered by microbiologist Thomas Brock in Yellowstone’s hot springs, enables polymerase chain reaction (PCR) tests for detecting viruses like COVID-19.
Brock's 1966 Yellowstone field trip sparked his extremophile research.
Kary Mullis later used Taq polymerase to develop PCR, earning the 1993 Nobel Prize.
PCR extends beyond health to criminal identification and environmental studies; Brock notes Yellowstone’s beauty.

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Story summary

Taq polymerase, discovered by microbiologist Thomas Brock in Yellowstone’s hot springs, enables polymerase chain reaction (PCR) tests for detecting viruses like COVID-19.
Brock's 1966 Yellowstone field trip sparked his extremophile research.
Kary Mullis later used Taq polymerase to develop PCR, earning the 1993 Nobel Prize.
PCR extends beyond health to criminal identification and environmental studies; Brock notes Yellowstone’s beauty.