Person

Franklin Stahl

Franklin Stahl (1929–2025) was an American molecular biologist who collaborated with Matthew Meselson on semiconservative DNA replication. He later studied genetic recombination at the University of Oregon and helped build its molecular-biology programme.

Submitted by: StellarEpicReviewed by: StellarEpic

Published 2026.10.23v1

Contents

From biology to Caltech

Stahl graduated from Harvard in 1951 and pursued graduate work at Rochester. After meeting Meselson, he moved to Caltech for their collaboration, combining genetic expertise with new approaches to molecular measurement.

References: [1]

The 1958 replication paper

They used density-gradient centrifugation and isotope labels to compare DNA after replication. Their 1958 paper supplied experimental support for semiconservative copying, allowing the proposal associated with the double-stranded DNA model to be tested against alternatives.

References: [1]

Recombination research at Oregon

Stahl joined Oregon in 1959 and helped establish its Institute of Molecular Biology with Aaron Novick and George Streisinger. His later work investigated genetic recombination, extending his interests from how DNA is copied to how genetic material is exchanged and rearranged.

References: [1] [2]

References

Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory DNA Learning Center. “Franklin William Stahl (1929–2025).” View source ↗
University of Oregon. “The Evolution of a Revolution.” View source ↗

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v12026.10.23First edition

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Submitted by: StellarEpicReviewed by: StellarEpicSubmitted: 2026-10-23 13:33 UTCReviewed: 2026-10-23 13:33 UTC