Mazia, Daniel (1912–1996)

US cell biologist. He taught at the University of Missouri (1938–50), where he performed research on the enzymatic digestion of chromosomes and the role of the nucleus in cell physiology. He moved to the University of California, Berkeley (1951–79), concurrently serving the marine biology laboratory at Woods Hole, Massachusetts (1950–58). With Katsuma Dan, he isolated the ‘major protein’ of the mitotic microtubules in 1952. Mazia moved on to Stanford University in 1979, continuing his research on cellular biochemistry. He made significant advances in cellular ion dynamics, chromosome chemistry, and centrosome function. Mazia was born in Scranton, Pennsylvania.