Notable Black Inventors: Emmett W. Chappelle, Exobiologist and Astrochemist

Emmett W. Chappelle was a pioneering Black exobiologist and astrochemist.

Over his lifetime, Chappelle amassed 14 U.S. patents, primarily related to his work on fluorescence and bioluminescence, and earned NASA's Exceptional Scientific Achievement Medal in 1994. He was also inducted into the National Inventors Hall of Fame in 2007.

He was born in 1925 in Phoenix, Arizona.

Chappelle was drafted into the U.S. Army during World War II, as part of the 92nd Infantry Division, known as the Buffalo Soldiers. The division was the only African American infantry unit to see combat in Europe.

He first obtained a bachelor’s degree in biology in 1950 from the University of California, Berkeley. Next, he taught at Meharry Medical College in Tennessee, from 1950 to 1953. Here, his research into iron recycling by red blood cells and anaphylactic shock began to gain attention.

He then went to the University of Washington and earned a master’s degree in biology in 1954.

Chappelle's innovative streak became evident when he joined the Research Institute for Advanced Studies in Baltimore in 1958.

His work there led to a significant discovery about single-celled organisms like algae, revealing their photosynthetic capabilities, which had implications for space travel by suggesting how oxygen might be generated for astronauts. This was a crucial advancement in environmental science and astrobiology.

In 1966, he joined NASA as an exobiologist and astrochemist.

His most famous contribution came from his research into bioluminescence, where he utilized chemicals from fireflies to detect adenosine triphosphate (ATP), a compound found in all living cells.

This method could potentially detect life not only on Earth but also on other planets, like in the soil samples from Mars, which was one of his tasks with the Viking spacecraft mission.

His ATP detection method was patented and became fundamental in microbiology, allowing for rapid bacterial detection in blood, urine, and food.