Honoring Bacon Ke at 100: a legend among the many luminaries and a highly collaborative scientist in photosynthesis research

Photosynth Res. 2021 Mar;147(3):243-252. doi: 10.1007/s11120-021-00820-8. Epub 2021 Feb 13.

Abstract

Bacon Ke, who did pioneering research on the primary photochemistry of photosynthesis, was born in China on July 26, 1920, and currently, he is living in a senior home in San Francisco, California, and is a centenarian. To us, this is a very happy and unique occasion to honor him. After providing a brief account of his life, and a glimpse of his research in photosynthesis, we present here "messages" for Bacon Ke@ 100 from: Robert Alfano (USA), Charles Arntzen (USA), Sandor Demeter (Hungary), Richard A. Dilley (USA), John Golbeck (USA), Isamu Ikegami (Japan), Ting-Yun Kuang (China), Richard Malkin (USA), Hualing Mi (China), Teruo Ogawa (Japan), Yasusi Yamamoto (Japan), and Xin-Guang Zhu (China).

Keywords: Charles F. Kettering laboratory; Photosystem I; Photosystem II; US–China scientific relation.

Publication types

  • Biography
  • Historical Article
  • Portrait

MeSH terms

  • China
  • History, 20th Century
  • Iron-Sulfur Proteins / physiology*
  • Japan
  • Photosynthesis / physiology*
  • Photosystem I Protein Complex / physiology*
  • Research / history*
  • United States

Substances

  • Iron-Sulfur Proteins
  • Photosystem I Protein Complex
  • P-430

Personal name as subject

  • Bacon Ke