Summary of The Making of a Scientist Class 10 Footprints without Feet

Answer

Richard H. Ebright is one of the leading scientists. He has contributed significantly to Biochemistry and Molecular Biology. He had been interested in science since his boyhood years. At the age of twenty-two. he excited the scientific world with a new theory. It was concerned with the working of cells. Ebright and his college room-mate explained the theory in an article. It was published in the journal entitled ‘Proceedings of the National Academy of Science’. It was the first of his many achievements in the field of science. It started with his studies on ‘butterflies’.
Ebright was the only child of his parents. They lived in the north of Reading, Pennsylvania. There was nothing for Ebright to do there. He had no companions. He was not a good player. But his hobby was collecting things. Ebright was fascinated by butterflies. He started collecting butterflies in kindergarten. He also collected rocks, fossils and coins. He also became a star-gazer and an eager astronomer.
Ebright’s mother recognized his curiosity and encouraged him. She took him on trips. She also bought him telescopes, microscopes, cameras and other equipment so that he could follow his hobbies. Ebright’s mother was his friend until he started school. She would bring home friends to him. He was her whole life after her husband’s death.Ebright’s mother would find work for Richer if he had nothing to do. She found learning tasks for him. He had a great hunger for learning. He earned top grades in school. By the time he was in second grade. he had collected 25 species of butterflies. These were found around in hometown. One day his mother gave him a children’s book. It opened the world of science to Ebright.
That book was ‘The Travels of Monarch X’. It described how monarch butterflies migrate to Central America. This book fascinated him. At the end of the book, readers were invited to help study butterfly migrations. They were asked to tag butterflies for research by Dr. Frederick A. Urquhart of Toronto University. Canada. Anyone who found a tagged butterfly was asked to send the tag to Dr. Urquhart. Ebright started tagging monarch butterflies. The butterfly collecting season around Reading lasts only six weeks in late summer. He realized that chasing the butterflies one by one won’t enable him to catch many. So he decided to raise a flock of butterflies. He would catch a female monarch and take her eggs. He would raise them in his basement from egg to caterpillar to pupa to adult butterfly. Then he would tag the butterflies’ wings and let them go.
‘ However, soon Ebright began to lose interest in tagging butterflies. The reason was that there was no feedback. He was a little disappointed as only two butterflies had been recaptured. And they had been found not more than seventy-five miles from where he lived. By the time, Ebright reached the seventh grade. He got busy with other scientific experiments. He entered a county science fair. His entries were slides of frog tissues. But he did not win any prize He realised that the winners had tried to do real experiments. So he decided to do further research in his favorite field, that is, insects on which he had already been doing work.
Ebright wrote to Dr. Urquhart for ideas. In reply, the famous scientist gave him many suggestions for experiments. These experiments kept Ebright busy all through high school. He also won many prizes in the county and international science fairs. For his eighth grade project, Ebright tried to find the cause of a viral disease that killed all monarch caterpillars. He thought the disease might be carried by a beetle. He tried raising caterpillars in the presence of beetles. But he didn’t get any real results. But he showed his experiment in the science fair and won. The next year's science fair project was testing the theory that viceroy butterflies imitate monarchs. He said that viceroys look like monarchs because birds do not find monarchs tasty. By copying monarchs, the viceroys escape being eaten by birds. His project was to see if birds would eat monarchs. This project was placed first in the zoology division and third overall in the county science fair.
In his second year in high school, Ebright’s research led to his discovery of an unknown insect hormone. Indirectly, it led to his new theory on the life of cells. He tried to answer a very simple question: What is the purpose of the twelve tiny gold spots on a monarch pupa? To find the answer Ebright and another student built a device that showed that the spots were producing a hormone. It was necessary for the butterfly’s full development. This project won Ebright first place in the county fair and entry into the International Science and Engineering Fair. There he won third place for zoology. He also got a chance to work in Walter Reed Army Institute of Research.
Ebright’s interest in butterflies never abated. As a high school junior, he continued his advanced experiments on the monarch pupa. His project won first place at the International Science Fair. In his senior year, he grew cells from a monarch’s wing in a culture. He showed that the cells would divide and develop into normal butterfly wing scales only if they were fed the hormone from the gold spots. That project won first place for zoology at the International Fair. He also worked at the army laboratory and at the U.S. Dept. of Agriculture’s laboratory. The following summer Ebright went back to the Dept. of Agriculture’s lab and worked on the hormone theory. Finally, he was able to identify the hormone’s chemical structure.
A year-and-a-half later, one day, Ebright was seeing the X-ray photos of the chemical structure of cells. He got the idea for his new theory about cell life. Those photos provided him with the answer to one of biology’s puzzles: how the cell can ‘read’ the blueprint of its DNA. DNA is the substance in the nucleus of a cell that controls heredity. It is the blueprint for life. Ebright and his college room-mate James R. Wong drew pictures and constructed plastic models of molecules to show how it could happen.
No one was surprised when Richard Ebright graduated from Harvard with highest honours. He also became a graduate student researcher at Harvard Medical School. There he began experimenting to test his theory if the theory proves correct it will be a big step towards understanding the life processes. It might also lead to new ideas for preventing some types of cancer and other diseases. Ebright has many other interests also. He also became a champion debater and public speaker, a good canoeist and an all-around outdoor-Person. He was also an expert photographer of nature and scientific exhibits.
Ebright’s social studies teacher, Richard Weiherer had high praise for him. Ebright said about his teacher that he opened his mind to new ideas. Richard A. Weiherer also spoke highly of Ebright about his interests. He won because he wanted to do the best job. He said that Ebright was competitive, but not in a bad sense. In the end, the writer says Ebright possessed those traits which are necessary for the making of a scientist. These are: Start with a first-rate mind, add curiosity and mix in the will to win for the right reasons. Ebright had these qualities.

Answer

• At the age of twenty-two, Richard H Ebright excited the world of science with a new theory on cells.
• Richard’s scientific career started with butterflies.
• Ebright collected butterflies when he was in kindergarten.
• His mother encouraged his interest in learning.
• She took him on trips and bought telescopes, microscopes, cameras and other equipment.
• His father died very young and his mother became his only companion and motivator.
• By the time Richard Ebright was in the second grade, he had collected twenty-five species of butterflies found around his hometown.
• His mother gifted him a children’s book called The Travels of Monarch X.
• The book described how monarch butterflies migrated to Central America and opened the world of science for Richard Ebright.
• He sent tagged butterflies to Dr. Urquhart, the writer of the book.
• Ebright raised a flock of butterflies in his basement and would tag the butterflies’ wings to send them to Dr. Urquhart.
• In the seventh grade, he entered the County Science Fair and lost.
• He wrote to Dr. Urquhart for new ideas and received many suggestions for experiments.
• The next year, his science fair project was to test the theory that viceroy butterflies copy monarch butterflies.
• The project was placed first in the zoology division and third overall in the County Science Fair.
• In his second year in high school, Richard Ebright discovered an unknown insect hormone.
• He and his friend showed that tiny gold spots on butterflies produced a hormone that was necessary for the butterfly’s full development.
• This project won Ebright first place in the county fair and an entry into the International Science and Engineering Fair.
• He grew cells from a monarch butterfly’s wing in a culture.
• Ebright was able to identify the hormone’s chemical structure.
• He showed how the cell can ‘read’ the blueprint of its DNA, the blueprint for life.
• Richard Ebright graduated from Harvard with highest honors, second in his class of 1, 516.
• Ebright had time for other interests too.
• He was a champion debater, a good canoeist, and an expert photographer.
• Richard Ebright had great admiration for his social studies teacher, Richard A Weiherer who opened his mind to new ideas.
• Richard Ebright was competitive but not in a bad sense. He wanted to be the best.
• The Travels of Monarch X opened the world of science to him and he never lost his scientific curiosity after that.

Answer

Richard H Ebright: A multifaceted genius; a great scientist, debater, canoeist, etc. Collected butterflies since childhood. Worked on monarch butterflies, the cell and its DNA. Inspired by his mother, Dr Urquhart and his teacher RA Weiherer

Richard H Ebright’s Mother: Encouraged and inspired Ebright’s interest in learning. Bought him instruments, cameras; his only companions. Got him the book The Travels of Monarch X that changed Richard Ebright’s life.

Dr Urquhart: Famous for work on monarch butterflies. Taught at University of Toronto, Canada. Helped Ebright with new ideas and suggestions.

Richard A Weiherer: Social Studies teacher of Ebright. Respected and admired by Ebright. Turned Ebright’s energy towards the Debating and Model United Nations clubs.

Answer

Theory on How Cells Work: बाईस साल की उम्र में, एब्राइट ने वैज्ञानिक दुनिया को एक नए सिद्धांत के साथ उत्साहित किया कि कोशिकाएं कैसे काम करती हैं। रिचर्ड एच एब्राइट और उनके कॉलेज रूम-मेट ने ‘Proceedings of the National Academy of Science’ ’में सिद्धांत को समझाया। यह पहली बार था कि इस महत्वपूर्ण वैज्ञानिक पत्रिका ने कभी कॉलेज के छात्रों के काम को प्रकाशित किया था। रिचर्ड एब्राइट के लिए, विज्ञान में उनकी पहली उपलब्धि तितलियों के साथ शुरू हुई।

Fond of Collecting Butterflies: रिचर्ड इब्राइट ने तितलियों को इकट्ठा करना शुरू कर दिया था जब वह बालवाड़ी में थे। उन्हें चट्टानों, जीवाश्मों और सिक्कों को इकट्ठा करने का भी शौक था। वह एक उत्सुक खगोलशास्त्री भी बन गए। वह कभी-कभी पूरी रात सितारों को देखता था।

Mother Encouraged Interest in Learning: रिचर्ड एब्राइट की माँ ने सीखने में उनकी रुचि को प्रोत्साहित किया। वह उसे यात्राओं पर ले गई, उसे दूरबीनें, सूक्ष्मदर्शी, कैमरे और अन्य उपकरण खरीदे। उसने उसकी कई तरह से मदद की। रिचर्ड सिर्फ तीसरी कक्षा में थे जब उनके पिता की मृत्यु हो गई। रिचर्ड उसकी माँ का पूरा जीवन था। उन्होंने लगभग हर शाम डाइनिंग टेबल पर बिताई। रिचर्ड सीखना चाहता था। उन्होंने स्कूलों में शीर्ष ग्रेड अर्जित किए। जब वह दूसरी कक्षा में थे, तब तक एब्राइट ने अपने गृहनगर के आसपास पाई जाने वाली तितलियों की सभी पच्चीस प्रजातियों को एकत्र कर लिया था। फिर, उनकी माँ ने उन्हें एक बच्चों की पुस्तक खरीदी, जिसका नाम द ट्रैवल्स ऑफ मोनार्क एक्स था। इस पुस्तक में बताया गया है कि कैसे मोनार्क तितलियाँ मध्य अमेरिका में चली गईं। इसने विज्ञान की दुनिया को उत्सुक कलेक्टर के लिए खोल दिया।

Tagging Butterflies: पुस्तक ने पाठकों को तितली प्रवास का अध्ययन करने में मदद करने के लिए आमंत्रित किया। कनाडा के टोरंटो विश्वविद्यालय के डॉ। फ्रेडरिक ए उर्खार्थ द्वारा अनुसंधान के लिए पाठकों को तितलियों को टैग करने के लिए कहा गया था। एब्राइट ने तितलियों का झुंड उठाना शुरू कर दिया। वह एक महिला नरेश को पकड़ती, उसके अंडे लेती, और उन्हें अपने जीवन चक्र के माध्यम से तहखाने में उठाती।

County Science Fair: सातवीं कक्षा में, उन्होंने काउंटी विज्ञान मेले में प्रवेश किया और हार गए। यह उनके लिए एक दुख की बात थी। लेकिन इससे एब्राइट में प्रतिस्पर्धा की भावना जागृत हुई। अपनी आठवीं कक्षा की परियोजना के लिए, एब्राइट ने एक वायरल बीमारी का कारण खोजने की कोशिश की जिसने हर कुछ वर्षों में सभी मोनार्क कैटरपिलर को मार दिया। इस बार वह जीत गया। अगले वर्ष, उनकी विज्ञान मेला परियोजना इस सिद्धांत का परीक्षण करने के लिए थी कि वायसराय तितलियों ने राजशाही की नकल की क्योंकि सम्राट पक्षियों का अच्छा स्वाद नहीं लेते। एब्राइट ने साबित किया कि वाइसराय तितलियां पक्षियों को अच्छा स्वाद देती हैं। इस परियोजना को प्राणी विज्ञान विभाग में प्रथम और काउंटी विज्ञान मेले में तीसरा स्थान दिया गया। हाई स्कूल में अपने दूसरे वर्ष में, एब्राइट ने दिखाया कि एक सम्राट प्यूपा पर सोने के धब्बे ने तितली के पूर्ण विकास के लिए आवश्यक हार्मोन का उत्पादन किया। इस परियोजना ने उन्हें काउंटी मेले में पहला स्थान और अंतर्राष्ट्रीय विज्ञान और इंजीनियरिंग मेले में प्रवेश दिलाया।

Theory about Cell Life: एब्राइट को सेल लाइफ के बारे में अपने नए सिद्धांत के लिए विचार मिला। उन्हें पता चला कि सेल अपने डीएनए का खाका cell पढ़ ’सकता है। डीएनए एक कोशिका के केंद्रक में पदार्थ है जो आनुवंशिकता को नियंत्रित करता है। इस प्रकार, डीएनए जीवन का खाका है।

Other Interests: रिचर्ड एब्राइट के पास अन्य हितों के लिए भी समय था। वह एक चैंपियन डिबेटर और सार्वजनिक वक्ता बन गया। वह एक अच्छा कैनोनिस्ट बन गया। वह एक विशेषज्ञ फोटोग्राफर भी बन गए, विशेष रूप से प्रकृति और वैज्ञानिक प्रदर्शनों के। उन्होंने अपने सामाजिक अध्ययन शिक्षक, श्री वीहेरर की प्रशंसा की। उन्होंने एब्राइट के दिमाग को नए विचारों के लिए खोल दिया था।

Competitive—To be the Best: रिचर्ड एब्राइट प्रतिस्पर्धी थे लेकिन बुरे अर्थ में नहीं। वह जीतने के लिए या पुरस्कार प्राप्त करने के लिए जीतने में दिलचस्पी नहीं रखता था। वह सर्वश्रेष्ठ बनना चाहता था। एक अच्छे वैज्ञानिक का निर्माण एब्राइट में मौजूद था। उसका पहले दर्जे का दिमाग था। उसके मन में जिज्ञासा थी। उसके पास सही कारणों से जीतने की इच्छाशक्ति थी। द ट्रेवल्स ऑफ मोनार्क एक्स की किताब ने उनके लिए विज्ञान की दुनिया खोल दी। उन्होंने अपनी वैज्ञानिक जिज्ञासा कभी नहीं खोई थी।