As the year draws to a close, it is time to remember the figures from the worlds of arts and science who died in 2019. The scientific community said goodbye to Sydney Brenner, Michael Atiyah, Paul Greengard, Manfred Eigen, Murray Gell-Mann and a number of other leading researchers this year. On a single day in November, it was confirmed that Australian broadcaster Clive James, theatre director Jonathan Miller and celebrity chef Gary Rhodes had died. Here is a look back at those to whom we, at Web of Stories, said farewell:

Sydney Brenner (1927-2019): Nobel laureate died in April at the age of 92. Brenner was best known for his discovery of sequences that stop protein translation, mRNA, and his investigation of the nematode C. elegans, which he realized would be an ideal model organism to study cell differentiation and organ development. That work won him the 2002 Nobel Prize for Physiology or Medicine. Watch his life story at: https://bit.ly/2Fat2Ia

Manfred Eigen (1927-2019): Nobel Prize winning German biophysical chemist was best known for his work on fast chemical reactions and his development of ways to accurately measure these reactions down to the nearest billionth of a second. He published over 100 papers with topics ranging from hydrogen bridges of nucleic acids to the storage of information in the central nervous system. Watch his life story at: https://bit.ly/35aNROp

Sir Michael Atiyah (1929-2019): eminent British mathematician broke new ground in geometry and topology with his proof of the Atiyah-Singer Index Theorem in the 1960s. This proof led to new branches of mathematics being developed, including those needed to understand emerging theories like supergravity and string theory. Watch his life story at: https://bit.ly/2MYJyQ7

Murray Gell-Mann (1929-2019): New York-born physicist was known for his creation of the eightfold way, an ordering system for subatomic particles, comparable to the periodic table. His discovery of the omega-minus particle filled a gap in the system, brought the theory wide acceptance and led to Gell-Mann’s winning the Nobel Prize in Physics in 1969. Watch his life story at: https://bit.ly/2sCKfax

Jonathan Miller (1934-2019): British theatre and opera director. Initially studying medicine at Cambridge, Sir Jonathan Miller came to prominence with the production of the British comedy revue, Beyond the Fringe. Following on from this success he embarked on a career in the theatre, directing a 1970 West End production of “The Merchant of Venice” starring Laurence Olivier. He also started directing opera, famously producing a modern, Mafia-themed version of “Rigoletto”. Watch his life story at: https://bit.ly/2QD7WaZ