Guido Pontecorvo, ‘Ponte’ to all who knew him, was born in Pisa, Italy, on 29 November 1907. His death on 25 September 1999, in his beloved Swiss mountains, marks the loss of a scientist whose breadth and vision had major impacts on genetical thought and experimentation.

After a classical education at Pisa lycee, he studied agricultural sciences at Pisa University (1924–1928) and later took postgraduate courses, including a diploma in silkworm breeding, in Milan and Pisa. His first research was in Florence, at the Agricultural Advisory Service for Tuscany; he worked on the beautiful Chiano breed of cattle for which he retained a strong affection. The breadth acquired in this and later periods was of lasting value. It had a lively impact on undergraduate courses in Glasgow, and for members of his first research team, all concentrating on microbial genetics, Ponte drew on a wealth of relevant references from his background, and applied ready corrective measures if he suspected a blinkered outlook.