science masterclass OUTLOOK

profile l Director of Johns Hopkins Malaria Peter Agre Research Institute since 2008 l Born on 30 January 1949 in Northfield, near Minneapolis l Was awarded an Eagle Scout Award in The family naturalist 1964, along with younger brother Jim l Father was friends with Nobel Peter Agre shared theNobel Prize in Chemistry 2003 with Roderick MacKinnon. Agre’s half was prizewinning chemist Linus Pauling, who awarded for his discovery of a water channel protein in cell membranes. visited the house l Adopted ‘Bolshevik’ and ‘bohemian’ How important is an interdisciplinary approach of our third child “I considered thoughts following a camping trip to Russia in addressing urgent scientific questions, and Lydia. She sustained abandoning the l Grades slipped at Theodore Roosevelt how can we foster such collaborations? prolonged cerebral laboratory to high school and in 1967 he quit to finish his Collaborations were incredibly important to hypoxia during birth become a full- high school degree at night school, learning our laboratory’s pursuit of the structural biol- and was left with per- time clinician, Russian during the day ogy and physiology of the aquaporin water manent, severe brain since this seemed l In 1970, spent several months trekking channel. In my experience, interdisciplinary damage from which the safest way around Asia —was in Cambodia during the science often happens without much planning. she eventually died. for me to support secret US bombing raids By sharing ideas and news of our discoveries, Unable to afford the my family.” l Gained medical doctorate from Johns we have always made friends with other scien- necessary home med- Hopkins in 1974 tists with technical capacities that we needed. ical care, I considered l Married Mary Macgill on 29 March 1975. abandoning the laboratory to become a full- The couple has three daughters and a son Are scientists under-represented in politics? time clinician, since this seemed the safest way l Returned to Johns Hopkins in 1981 And do established scientists, especially Nobel for me to support my family. The stable influ- and explored membrane proteins, while laureates, have a duty to become active in ence of my wife kept us on track. I stayed in moonlighting as a ringside physician at politics and science the lab but changed the focus of our work to professional boxing matches “Discovery of policy? pursue medical problems of newborn infants. l In 1991 discovered the long-sought-after the molecular Science is grossly The new direction of research led to the dis- water channel for cells, dubbed aquaporin explanation under-represented covery that won me a Nobel. (AQP1) for happiness in elected offices of would be government. Most What advice would you give all young res- revolutionary.” scientists are rather earchers who are starting their research life so I always tell young scientists that aspiring to poor at communicat- as to become a good scientist? win prizes is a poor reason to do science. ing their work to non-scientists, I believe that the three most and as a result the public fails to important objectives a young understand why our work is use- scientist should pursue are: ful. Participation by scientists at 1) making an original discovery, all levels of elected office will be 2) earning the respect of your peers educational for the public. This has and 3) training the next generation meetings occurred in some countries such as of scientists. Germany, where Chancellor Merkel laureate was a physical chemist, and China, Many people consider the peer-review where President Hu Jintao trained system broken. Do you share their lindau

./ as a hydraulic engineer. Governing view, and do you have a solution?? c , is difficult, but I think governing I think that scientific peer review, without an advanced understand- like democracy, is a very poor system flemming ing of science is very risky. but better than all others.

What is the one discovery that would Aside from as a Nobel laureate, how herald a scientific revolution in the do you want to be remembered? 21st century? The Nobel prize may be more Discovery of the molecular expla- important for science than for the nation for happiness would be individual laureate. revolutionary. But this may not I often surprise people by ask- be just wishful thinking. Neuro- ing them to name the Nobel scientists are making incredible prizewinners in 2003 (my year). breakthroughs in understanding Usually, they cannot remember the actions of serotonin. So who any names, which is a demon- knows? stration that even a Nobel prize guarantees only a footnote in history You must have experienced a lull in books. your research career at some point. At the end of my life, I will What kept you going? be happy to be remembered as a I do not often talk about this, but scientist who loved the natural world I nearly quit science after the birth and loved his family.

14 OCTOber 2010 | VOL 467 | NATURE | S11