Biochemistry and microbial nutrition
Tatum trained in chemistry, microbiology and biochemistry at the University of Wisconsin, completing his doctorate in 1934. His early research concerned bacterial nutrition and metabolism. He joined Stanford’s biological sciences department in 1937.
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Establishing a workable experimental system
Tatum handled important chemical aspects of his collaboration with Beadle. When they turned to Neurospora, he identified the importance of biotin for growth on a simple medium. They then studied nutritional defects in mutant strains to connect inherited changes with particular metabolic steps.
Genetics across disciplines
Tatum worked at Stanford, Yale and the Rockefeller Institute, studying microorganisms as well as fruit flies. In 1958 he and Beadle were recognised for work on genes and chemical processes; Joshua Lederberg received the other share of that year’s Nobel Prize for bacterial genetics.