Date of Birth: October 14, 1946
Zodiac Sign: Libra
Biography
John Craig Venter is an American biotechnologist, biochemist, geneticist, and businessman. He is best known for his pioneering work in sequencing the human genome. Venter was born in Salt Lake City, Utah, and raised in Millbrae, California. He initially struggled in school but found his passion for science while serving as a Navy corpsman during the Vietnam War. After returning from Vietnam, he completed his undergraduate and doctoral studies at the University of California, San Diego. Venter first gained prominence for his work at the National Institutes of Health (NIH), where he developed Expressed Sequence Tags (ESTs), a revolutionary method for gene discovery. He later founded Celera Genomics, a company that used shotgun sequencing to map the human genome. This work culminated in the announcement of the first draft of the human genome in 2000, a milestone in the field of genomics. In addition to his work on the human genome, Venter has been involved in synthetic biology. He founded the J. Craig Venter Institute, which focuses on genomics research, and later created Synthetic Genomics, a company aimed at developing synthetic biological solutions. Venter’s work has earned him numerous awards and honors, including being named one of Time magazine’s 100 most influential people multiple times.
5 Interesting Facts about Craig Venter
1. Venter was a high school dropout but later earned a Ph.D. in physiology and pharmacology.
2. He served as a Navy corpsman during the Vietnam War, which inspired his interest in science.
3. Venter’s team at Celera Genomics used a method called “shotgun sequencing” to rapidly sequence the human genome.
4. He created the first synthetic bacterial cell, Mycoplasma laboratorium, in 2010.
5. Venter has been a vocal advocate for the ethical considerations of genomic research.
5 Most Interesting Quotes from Craig Venter
1. “If you want to change the world, you have to change the metaphor.”
2. “We know the human genome, what we don’t know is what it means.”
3. “The day you stop learning is the day you start dying.”
4. “Synthetic genomics is about making biology easier to engineer.”
5. “We are limited only by our own imaginations and our will to act.”
Highest Net Worth Achieved
The highest net worth achieved by Craig Venter is estimated to be around $300 million.
Children
Craig Venter has two children from his first marriage: Christopher Venter and Christopher Venter.
Relevant Links
1. [J. Craig Venter Institute](https://www.jcvi.org/
2. [Synthetic Genomics](https://www.syntheticgenomics.com/
3. [Biography on Britannica](https://www.britannica.com/biography/Craig-Venter
5. [TED Talk by Craig Venter](https://www.ted.com/speakers/craig_venter
