In 1911, Pathologist Peyton Rous reported a virus that causes cancer in chickens (Rous sarcoma virus) that opened the field of tumor virology. It showed that some cancers have infectious etiology, led to the discovery of oncogenes, and laid the foundation for the molecular mechanisms of carcinogenesis.

Rous spent his entire research career at The Rockefeller Institute, and he was the JEM’s longest serving editor.