18 | People You Should Know in Science: Dr. Barbara McClintock
- Virginia&Frances MD&MS
- Sep 16, 2020
- 1 min read
Hello podcast listeners! We have a special episode for you, about another scientist you should know: Dr. Barbara McClintock. If you were excited for the episode on prions, don't worry! We will be back to our regularly scheduled episodes in two weeks.
Dr. McClintock was born in 1902 in Connecticut. Despite her mother's apprehension, Dr. McClintock attended Cornell University for her bachelors, masters, and PhD. Dr. McClintock had a natural gift at genetics, and she made it her life's work.
While she is best known for her work on transposons, Dr. McClintock started of studying crossing over of chromosomes, or genetic recombination. The chromosome staining technique she crafted to study recombination, she later used to study transposition.
Dr. McClintock noticed coloration patterns in corn kernels differed among generations of maize. When she explored this further, she noticed that certain genes appeared to move along the chromosome, and named them 'jumping genes.' The position of these genes determined the coloration pattern in the kernels.
When Dr. McClintock presented her ideas, she was met with opposition and even hostility from the scientific community. Despite the reaction, she continued to work on her ideas. Dr. McClintock is an inspiring figure, who pushed against traditional gender norms and sexism from the scientific community. Dr McClintock was finally recognized for her scientific achievements 35 years later, as she was awarded the noble prize in 1983.
Hope you enjoyed!
Sources:
Barbara McClintock (1902-1992)
Barbara McClintock and the Discovery of Jumping Genes (Transposons)
Barbara McClintock and the discovery of jumping genes
Barbara McClintock
Barbara McClintock
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