Bernard Strehler; USC Researcher and Expert in the Aging Process

Bernard Strehler, 76, retired USC molecular biology professor and gerontology expert who wrote the pioneering book “Time, Cells and Aging,” died May 13 in Agoura.

Strehler, who taught at USC from 1967 to 1990, was educated at Johns Hopkins University and spent his early career in research at the Oak Ridge National Laboratory, the University of Chicago and the National Institutes of Health.

His research led to the discovery of luciferin, the material that contributes to the light in fireflies. He also studied the bioluminescence of green plants and then concentrated on DNA and human aging.