  rita levi-montalcini (; 22 april 1909&nbsp;â 30 december 2012) was an italian developmental neurobiologist who, together with colleague stanley cohen, received the 1986 nobel prize in physiology or medicine for their discovery of nerve growth factor (ngf). also, from 2001, until her death, she served in the italian senate as a senator for life. rita levi-montalcini had been the oldest living nobel laureate and the first ever to reach a 100th birthday. on 22 april 2009, she was feted with a 100th birthday party at rome's city hall. ==early life and education== born on 22 april 1909 at turin to a wealthy italian jewish family,http://www.economist.com/news/obituary/21569019-rita-levi-montalcini-biologist-died-december-30th-aged-103-rita-levi-montalcini rita levi-montalcini she and her twin sister [[paola levi-mo
1909_births 2012_deaths Fellows_of_the_American_Academy_of_Arts_and_Sciences Foreign_Members_of_the_Royal_Society History_of_neuroscience Italian_Jews Italian_Life_Senators Italian_Nobel_laureates Italian_atheists Italian_centenarians Italian_exiles Italian_neuroscientists Italian_women_scientists Jewish_atheists Levites Members_of_the_European_Molecular_Biology_Organization Members_of_the_French_Academy_of_Sciences Members_of_the_Pontifical_Academy_of_Sciences Members_of_the_United_States_National_Academy_of_Sciences National_Medal_of_Science_laureates Neurologists Nobel_laureates_in_Physiology_or_Medicine People_from_Turin Recipients_of_the_Albert_Lasker_Award_for_Basic_Medical_Research Recipients_of_the_Great_Cross_of_the_National_Order_of_Scientific_Merit_(Brazil) Sephardi_Jews Twin_people_from_Italy University_of_Turin_alumni Washington_University_in_St._Louis_faculty Women_Nobel_laureates Women_biologists Women_neuroscientists