Rita Levi-Montalcini
Italian neurologist (1909–2012)
Why this is trending
Interest in “Rita Levi-Montalcini” spiked on Wikipedia on 2026-02-27.
Categorised under Entertainment, this article fits a familiar pattern. Entertainment topics frequently surge on Wikipedia following major media events, premieres, or unexpected celebrity developments.
GlyphSignal tracks these patterns daily, turning raw Wikipedia traffic data into a curated feed of what the world is curious about. Every spike tells a story.
Key Takeaways
- Rita Levi-Montalcini (born Rita Levi ; 22 April 1909 – 30 December 2012) was an Italian neurobiologist.
- From 2001 until her death, she also served in the Italian Senate as a senator for life.
- On 22 April 2009, she became the first Nobel laureate to reach the age of 100, and the event was feted with a party at Rome's City Hall.
- She and her twin sister Paola (who would become a respected artist best known for her reflective aluminum sculptures) were the youngest of four children.
Rita Levi-Montalcini (born Rita Levi; 22 April 1909 – 30 December 2012) was an Italian neurobiologist. She was awarded the 1986 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine jointly with colleague Stanley Cohen for the discovery of nerve growth factor (NGF).
From 2001 until her death, she also served in the Italian Senate as a senator for life. This honor was given due to her significant scientific contributions. On 22 April 2009, she became the first Nobel laureate to reach the age of 100, and the event was feted with a party at Rome's City Hall.
Early life and education
Levi-Montalcini was born on 22 April 1909 in Turin, to Italian Jewish parents with roots dating back to the Roman Empire. She and her twin sister Paola (who would become a respected artist best known for her reflective aluminum sculptures) were the youngest of four children. Her parents were Adele Montalcini, a painter, and Adamo Levi, an electrical engineer and mathematician, whose families had moved from Asti and Casale Monferrato, respectively, to Turin at the turn of the twentieth century.
Content sourced from Wikipedia under CC BY-SA 4.0
