Craig Venter, pioneering human genome decoder, dies at 79

Pioneering geneticist J. Craig Venter has died at the age of 79, according to his namesake research institute. K.C. Alfred/The San Diego Union-Tribune/ hide caption toggle caption K.C. Alfred/The San Diego Union-Tribune/ J. Craig Venter, a scientist who played a critical role in the sequencing of the human genome, has died at the age of 79, according to his namesake research institute. Venter's company, Celera Genomics, famously began a scientific race, trying to completely sequence the human genetic code before the government-funded Human Genome Project achieved the same feat. He pioneered new, cheaper, faster approaches such as the "whole genome shotgun method" that critics initially said wouldn't work. In a 2003 interview with NPR, when Venter was asked about how he felt about being often called a scientific "maverick," he said that it "depends on how it's meant by most people, but in the context of stodgy science, I consider it a tremendous badge of honor." Maverick or no, Venter's successes and provocations made him a scientific superstar. In 2000, when scientists gathered at the White House with President Bill Clinton to mark what was basically the completion of efforts to sequence all human genes, Venter was standing next to the president and celebrated for his rival sequencing effort. Indeed, Venter left an indelible mark on his chosen field, according to Drew Endy, a synthetic biologist at Stanford University. …