Puzzle parents Nobel laureates

Professor Sir Paul Nurse, Nobel Prize-winning geneticist who recently became president of the Royal Society - an alliance of the world's leading scientists, three years ago by chance learned that he had been deceived related real genetic identity.

"I have always been interested in the genetics of my own because I have always been the most bizarre in my family. But even though I am an expert, my family managed to keep the secret of my genetic origins of myself for more than half a century," he said, smiling wryly. "Those who I thought my parents were not my parents at all."

Revelations that happens when Sir Paul, now 61, filed a green card to the United States to become permanent residents. At that time he has lived in America for three years and became President of Rockefeller University in New York, so that when the application is rejected, he was surprised. He was told there was a problem with a concise version of his birth certificate, which does not contain the name of his parents. He also proposed a more complete version.

"When the letter arrived, my secretary asked me if I have made a mistake with my mother's name. I said," Of course not. "He handed it to me and for the next few seconds I was really shocked."

"I saw that the next word is the name of my sister's mother Miriam, and beside the father only a dash. I do not believe at first: I suspect it is a matter of bureaucracy."

He did not immediately understand the implications to his wife, Anne, suggested that perhaps the real parents were his grandparents.

"I can not ask my mom about it because he had died a long time and my sister also had died of multiple sclerosis. Eventually I realized that the birth certificate stating my grandfather's brother was born at home in Norwich, so I phoned her daughter, who told me that it was true: the woman who I know as my sister is my mother and my parents were my grandparents. "

"My aunt has been sworn to secrecy about what has happened. He told my mother pregnant at age 18 in 1948 and kept away to give birth, like someone on a novel by Dickens.

"Her mother joined there and then returned to the family home with his new son. He and my grandfather raised me as a child to hide the shame borne by my mother."

Sitting in the plush new offices at the headquarters of the Royal Society in Carlton House Terrace in London, Sir Paul is far from academic stereotypes. Attitude warm, approachable, and unlimited enthusiasm and laughter are passed down to make people easily forget that he is Britain's most important scientists.

His achievement is enormous: 1996-2002 he was director general of Cancer Research UK, received his knighthood in 1999.

Two years later he shared the Nobel Prize for Physiology or Medicine with Timothy Hunt and Leland Hartwell for their discoveries about cell division. In 2003 he moved to America to take over at Rockefeller University, which he officially left March next year.

He also took the time to undergo some risky hobbies, including pilot testing of a biplane that he had a raft and riding a motorcycle 500cc Kawasaki. He also loved mountain ride.