Contents
Barbara McClintock
Discovering mobile genetic elements, often called jumping genes.
Chromosomal crossing-over · Mobile elements
- Born
- 16 June 1902
- Birthplace
- Hartford, Connecticut, United States
- Died
- 2 September 1992
More people
Barbara McClintock
Barbara McClintock was an American geneticist whose close study of maize chromosomes revealed that genetic material can change position. Her work connected visible chromosome behaviour with inheritance and gene regulation.
Early life
Brooklyn upbringing
Grew up in a family that moved from Connecticut to New York.
Cornell studies
Trained in botany and earned her doctorate in 1927.
Career
- 1920s–1930s
Chromosome research
Developed techniques for identifying and analysing maize chromosomes.
- 1936–1941
Missouri faculty
Taught and researched at the University of Missouri.
- 1941 onwards
Cold Spring Harbor
Continued maize genetics research over the next five decades.
Contributions
Chromosomal crossing-over
With Harriet Creighton, linked exchanged chromosome segments to inherited traits.
Mobile elements
Published evidence that controlling elements could move within chromosomes.
Medicine Nobel
Received the prize for discovering mobile genetic elements.
Beyond the lab
Away from the laboratory
Enjoyed playing tennis and collected black walnuts at Cold Spring Harbor for baking.
Shared discoveries
Discussed research with younger scientists at Cold Spring Harbor, including Elizabeth Blackburn.
Sources & photo credit
Biography ↗Life and work ↗Life at Cold Spring Harbor ↗Archives and colleagues’ recollections ↗Photo: Smithsonian Institution /Science Service; Restored by Adam Cuerden. Public domain · Original image. Cropped and displayed in monochrome.
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