Melvin Calvin won the Nobel Prize for Chemistry in 1961 for his research on the carbon dioxide assimilation in plants. Through studies during the early 1950s, particularly of single-cell green algae, Calvin traced the path taken by carbon through different stages of photosynthesis, which was later named the Calvin cycle. For this, he made use of tools such as radioactive isotopes and chromatography. His findings included insight into the important role played by phosphorous compounds during the composition of carbohydrates.
Calvin was born on 8th April 1911, at St. Paul, Minnesota in the US. He is well-known for his leadership quality. During the latter part of the 1940s, and throughout the following decade, he led, and inspired an outstanding group of researchers.
In 1942, Calvin married Genevieve Jemtegaard, with later Nobel chemistry laureate Glenn T. Seaborg as his best man. The husband and wife duo worked on an interdisciplinary project to investigate the chemical factors in the Rh blood group system. He died on 8th January, 1997.