Kary Mullis

Kary Mullis – Life, Career, and Famous Quotes

Explore the life and legacy of Kary Mullis, the American biochemist who revolutionized molecular biology with PCR. Read about his early years, groundbreaking inventions, controversies, philosophy, and enduring influence.

Introduction

Kary Banks Mullis (December 28, 1944 – August 7, 2019) was an American biochemist and inventor best known for conceiving the polymerase chain reaction (PCR), a technique that enables scientists to amplify specific DNA sequences exponentially.

Though celebrated for his scientific achievement, Mullis was also a figure of controversy—publicly questioning accepted views on HIV/AIDS, climate change, and more. His life weaves together brilliance, eccentricity, and dissent.

Early Life and Family

Kary Mullis was born in Lenoir, North Carolina on December 28, 1944, to Cecil Banks Mullis and Bernice Alberta Barker.

At age five, the Mullis family moved to Columbia, South Carolina, where Kary attended A. C. Moore Elementary, Hand Junior High, and later Dreher High School, graduating in 1962.

During high school, he engaged in amateur experiments, including building solid-fuel rockets and exploring chemistry, which kindled an early passion for scientific inquiry.

Youth and Education

In 1966, Mullis earned a Bachelor of Science in Chemistry from the Georgia Institute of Technology (Georgia Tech) in Atlanta.

He continued his studies at the University of California, Berkeley, where he earned a Ph.D. in Biochemistry in 1973 under advisor J. B. Neilands. His dissertation centered on the structure and synthetic work of a bacterial siderophore known as schizokinen.

Mullis’s path through graduate school was not without difficulty; he struggled with some aspects of the program and had to revise portions of his dissertation with the help of colleagues. University of Kansas Medical Center (1973–1977) and in pharmaceutical chemistry at UCSF (1977–1979).

Career and Achievements

Early Career and the Road to PCR

After his postdoctoral work, Mullis briefly left active research to write fiction. Cetus Corporation in Emeryville, California, as a DNA chemist.

While at Cetus, Mullis’s unconventional thinking and curiosity led him to contemplate a method for amplifying segments of DNA through repeated thermal cycling. In 1983 he conceived the foundational idea behind polymerase chain reaction (PCR): using primers to flank a target region and repeatedly cycling DNA denaturation, annealing, and extension to replicate that region.

At first, the idea was met with skepticism. Mullis’s colleagues continued to work on parallel PCR projects (e.g. Saiki, Erlich) to validate the technique.

A crucial improvement was the incorporation of a thermostable DNA polymerase, derived from Thermus aquaticus (Taq polymerase), which allowed the enzyme to survive high-temperature denaturation steps. This innovation greatly streamlined the process and enabled widespread adoption.

From Innovation to Recognition

As PCR spread through molecular biology labs, its impact became transformative—facilitating cloning, diagnostics, forensic DNA profiling, evolutionary biology, and much more. Nobel Prize in Chemistry (with Michael Smith) for his contribution to PCR. Japan Prize.

While at Cetus, Mullis was awarded a modest bonus ($10,000) for his invention, but Cetus later sold its patent rights for $300 million to Roche, a deal Mullis criticized.

After leaving Cetus in 1986, Mullis served as director of molecular biology at Xytronyx, Inc. in San Diego for about two years.

Subsequently, he consulted broadly on nucleic acid chemistry, worked as an expert witness in DNA profiling cases, and launched entrepreneurial ventures. One notable (and eccentric) venture was selling jewelry pieces embedded with amplified DNA from deceased celebrities like Elvis Presley and Marilyn Monroe. Atomic Tags (La Jolla) to explore technologies combining atomic-force microscopy with bar-coded antibodies for parallel immunoassays.

In later years, Mullis continued to pitch ideas outside mainstream science. In 2011 he founded Altermune LLC, aiming to develop immunological technologies (e.g. retargeting antibodies).

Historical Milestones & Context

• PCR Revolution: Before Mullis’s work, amplifying a target DNA sequence required laborious cloning or hybridization techniques. His approach made amplification fast, routine, and accessible, fundamentally altering biology and medicine’s trajectory.

• Patent Controversy: The financial outcome of PCR’s commercialization (Cetus’s sale to Roche) created tension and debate about scientific credit and reward distribution. Mullis was outspoken about his dissatisfaction.

• “Nobel Disease” & Public Decline: In later years, Mullis made public statements skeptical of mainstream science—denying HIV as the cause of AIDS, downplaying anthropogenic climate change, endorsing astrology and paranormal claims. These positions drew heavy criticism and became part of his complex legacy.

• Cultural Footprint: PCR underlies many modern technologies—diagnostic testing (e.g., viral detection), forensics (DNA fingerprinting), evolutionary studies, and more. Its importance has only amplified (e.g., during the COVID-19 pandemic).

• Eccentric Persona: Mullis embraced an image of the maverick scientist. He claimed that LSD and unorthodox thinking aided his breakthroughs, spoke of paranormal experiences, and often clashed with institutional norms.

Legacy and Influence

Kary Mullis’s legacy is dominated by the invention of PCR, a technology so central to molecular biology that it is hard to imagine the field without it. His technique democratized DNA analysis and accelerated discoveries across genetics, medicine, microbiology, and beyond.

Beyond the tool itself, Mullis’s life provokes reflection on the nature of scientific authority, dissent, and the intersection of brilliance and fallibility. His later skepticism and contrarian stances serve as cautionary tales—and sometimes polarize interpretations of his legacy.

While many revere him as a genius, others critique his post-Nobel statements as undermining scientific responsibility. Nonetheless, PCR remains a monument to his impact—a bridge between humble curiosity and global consequences.

Personality, Interests & Talents

• Mullis was an avid surfer and musician (he played guitar, sang).

• He was adventurous in thinking: he embraced notions of the paranormal, claimed belief in astrology, and recounted extraordinary anecdotes such as witnessing a “non-substantial form” of his deceased grandfather or interacting with a fluorescent, talking raccoon.

• Mullis was outspoken, provocative, and unrestrained in public debate, often voicing skepticism about scientific consensus in areas outside his expertise.

• He maintained a spirit of playful curiosity—claiming, for instance, that LSD “opened his mind” and that his unconventional engagements sometimes informed his scientific ideas.

Famous Quotes of Kary Mullis

While Mullis was less known for polished aphorisms, several memorable statements and sentiments capture his worldview:

“I was sagging as I walked out … Neither [assistant] Fred, empty Beck’s bottles, nor the sweet smell of the dawn of the age of PCR could replace Jenny.”
— from his Nobel lecture, reflecting on personal strain during his PCR breakthrough.

“Things like HIV and climate change … I strongly doubt.”
— a summary of Mullis’s public skepticism toward the scientific consensus in these fields.

“I took plenty of LSD … I found it to be a mind-opening experience. It was certainly much more important than any courses I ever took.”
— from an interview reflecting on his psychedelic experiences.

“Science is being practiced by people who are dependent on being paid for what they are going to find out.”
— a critique of institutional science and funding pressures.

Lessons from Kary Mullis

1. Curiosity Over Conformity
   Mullis’s success underscores how bold ideas often arise from stepping outside disciplinary norms. An imaginative leap—not just following accepted paths—led to PCR.

2. The Double-Edged Sword of Genius
   His life reminds us that scientific brilliance does not guarantee sound judgment in all domains. Expertise in one area does not confer infallibility elsewhere.

3. Importance of Simplicity
   PCR’s elegance lies in its simplicity: a repeating cycle of heating, annealing, and extending. Often breakthroughs are simple in design, not just in intuition.

4. Scientific Humility & Responsibility
   While curiosity is vital, Mullis’s later controversial positions highlight the responsibility that comes with public authority—especially when questioning consensus.

5. Legacy Beyond Fame
   True legacy rests more in sustained impact (like PCR) than in public persona or contrarian stances.

Conclusion

Kary Mullis was a rare figure—a scientist whose single invention reshaped biology, yet whose life arc contained as much debate as admiration. As the architect of PCR, he bridged imagination and application, turning an abstract idea into a foundational tool for science. At the same time, his public questioning of established science and embrace of the unorthodox make him a provocative symbol: of the power and the perils of intellectual audacity.

His story challenges us to balance creativity with rigor, skepticism with responsibility, and to remember that legacy is built not just by boldness, but by enduring contributions.

Explore his work, read Dancing Naked in the Mind Field, revisit PCR’s principles in modern science, and let Mullis’s complexity deepen your appreciation for the beauty—and fragility—of scientific inquiry.