New York born David Baltimore displayed his aptitude in science while still in high

school. He was granted the opportunity to study at the Jackson laboratory,

researching mammalian genetics. He pursued his interest in microbiology and
chemistry at Swarthmore college and later at the Massachusetts institute of
technology. It was here that he made the most important scientific breakthrough of
his career in the field of molecular immunology. He discovered that in some viruses,
RNA can replicate into the DNA of the healthy cell, causing tumors. This process is
more commonly known as reverse transcription. He made great strides in the field
of physiology and medicine and awarded the Nobel Prize for his work.
Unfortunately, the latter part of his career was plagued by accusations of falsified
data and breach of scientific ethics. He currently resides in California as the
president of Caltech where he continues teaching and independent research.