INSIGHTS | PERSPECTIVESsciencemag.org SCIENCEPHOTO: ETH-BIBLIOTHEK ZÜRICH, BILDARCHIV/FOTOGRAF: UNBEKANNT/PORTR_13862/CC BY-SA 4.0By Geoffrey BodenhausenR
ichard Ernst, professor at the Swiss
Federal Institute of Technology in
Zurich (ETH Zurich), Nobel laureate,
and groundbreaking scientist, died on
4 June. He was 87. By working at the
interfaces between chemistry, physics,
and biology, Ernst opened the door to mag-
netic resonance of materials, proteins, and
nucleic acids. His work on magnetic reso-
nance imaging (MRI) revolutionized medi-
cal diagnosis.
Born on 14 August 1933 and raised in
Winterthur near Zurich, Switzerland, Ernst
graduated with a diploma (BA) in chemistry
from ETH Zurich, followed by a PhD from
the same institution under the supervision
of Hans Primas and Hans Günthard. Except
for a few years with Varian Associates in Palo
Alto, California, he spent his entire career as
a member of the ETH Zurich faculty. He had
a rare talent for picking graduate students
and postdoctoral associates, many of whom
now hold faculty positions.
In 1945, physicists Felix Bloch at Stanford
University and Edward M. Purcell at Harvard
University discovered nuclear magnetic reso-
nance in bulk matter by observing very weak
signals that emanate from the nuclei of at-
oms, which possess magnetization like the
needle of a compass. Ernst transformed mag-
netic resonance from an academic curiosity
into a universal tool by making it possible to
observe all nuclei in a molecule or a human
body simultaneously rather than sequen-
tially. The resulting signals can be analyzed
by Fourier transformation, a mathematical
operation that retrieves with clarity all fre-
quencies in seemingly inextricable signals.
Ernst developed methods to unravel signals
that overlap in several dimensions, to corre-
late frequencies of different nuclei in a mole-
cule, and to separate different spatial dimen-
sions in a body. Simultaneous observation of
all nuclei drastically improved the sensitiv-
ity of magnetic resonance. Information-rich
images that are generated allow researchers
and radiologists to observe all magnetic nu-
clei in a molecule or human body.
Ernst’s breakthrough applies to work
in a variety of fields. In biology, simultane-ous observation of magnetic resonance sig-
nals allows the structure and dynamics of
biomolecules such as proteins and nucleic
acids (DNA or RNA) to be determined in
solution as well as in microcrystals, fibrils,
sediments, and other solids. Magnetic reso-
nance not only circumvents the need for
obtaining crystals for diffraction but also
opens the way to the study of the flexibility
and structural adaptability of biomolecules.
In materials science, simultaneous observa-
tion of magnetic resonance signals has been
exploited with great success in batteries,
catalysts, polymers, and porous materialsof all sorts, as improved sensitivity makes
it possible to determine the arrangement of
atoms and ions in space and their ability to
move around.
Ernst was honored as the sole recipient
of the Nobel Prize in Chemistry in 1991,
which coincided with the extravagantly cel-
ebrated 90th anniversary of the death of
Alfred Nobel and the 700th anniversary of
the Swiss Confederation. Upon his return to
Switzerland from Stockholm, Ernst was cel-
ebrated like a national hero, with spectacu-
lar fireworks and many television and radio
interviews. He had mixed feelings about
his award and the related celebrations, as
he was well aware that others had paved
the way for his success: Paul Lauterbur and
Peter Mansfield, who had made images of
humans, and Weston Anderson, Jean Jeener,
Ray Freeman, Kurt Wüthrich, and others,
who had contributed to obtaining structuresof molecules. Three of these scientists would
be awarded Nobel Prizes in later years, but
Ernst was disappointed that the others did
not receive proper recognition.
Ernst also received the Marcel Benoist
Prize in Switzerland, the Wolf Prize in Israel,
and the first of more than a dozen honorary
doctorates from the Swiss Federal Institute
of Technology in Lausanne. His autobiog-
raphy, Nobelpreisträger aus Winterthur
(Nobel laureate from Winterthur), richly il-
lustrated with works of Tibetan art that he
collected, was published in German in 2020.
An English translation will be released soon.
Ernst’s influence went far beyond the field
of physical chemistry. He was for many years
one of the most cited Nobel laureates. As
a guest speaker at universities around the
world, especially after his retirement in 1998,
he deftly associated science with other con-
cerns, including Tibetan art and Buddhism.
In his talks, he also expressed a biting criti-
cism of university education, which he be-
lieved should focus on instilling a sense of
responsibility beyond mere knowledge and
technical skills, and he sharply denounced
inequalities and injustice. His fiery speeches
against the evils of US imperialism earned
him the enmity of his critics.
The richness of Ernst’s career reflects the
complexity of the man. Always on the look-
out for new methods to probe the secrets of
matter, he also sought to unravel the mys-
teries of music and art. Even though he had
given up playing Bach’s cello suites because
“his fingers did not obey his ear,” he contin-
ued to study intricate works of 18th-century
composers. He also explored the Buddhist
painting schools of Tibetan monasteries as
well as the pantheon of deities represented
on thangkas that he ardently collected.
I began working with Ernst as a postdoc
in 1980. His support helped me earn the title
of privatdozent before departing ETH Zurich
in 1985. While there, I h elped him complete
a book on the principles of nuclear magnetic
resonance that took many years to write.
Owing in large part to Ernst’s demanding
sense of breadth and farsighted vision, the
book continues to be widely cited as a refer-
ence for practitioners of magnetic resonance,
even decades after its publication.
Along with his students and other col-
laborators, I appreciated Ernst’s rigor, tinged
with a certain stiffness; his incorruptible
intransigence; and his oscillations between
moods of arrogance and humility, forever
unsatisfied and in search of balance. Like the
spirits transmitted by reincarnation accord-
ing to the Tibetan traditions that he admired
so much, the spirit of this great scientist will
undoubtedly enrich future generations. j10.1126/science.abj9824RETROSPECTIVERichard Ernst (1933–2021)
Chemist who made magnetic resonance a powerful tool
Department of Chemistry, Ecole Normale
Supérieure–Paris Sciences et Lettres, Paris, France.
Email: [email protected]164 9 JULY 2021 • VOL 373 ISSUE 65510709Perspectives.indd 164 7/1/21 6:34 PM