#geneticists

[importantwomensbirthdays]

Mary F. Lyon

Mary F. Lyon was born in 1925 in Norwich, England. Lyon was one of the 20th century's most important geneticists. She is known for her discovery of x-chromosome inactivation. This breakthrough not only yielded new insights into x-linked hereditary diseases, but also gave rise to a new field of scientific inquiry and became a foundational part of biological understanding. Lyon also made significant contributions to the understanding of environmental mutagenesis. She received many awards and honors for her trailblazing scientific work, including the Wolf Prize, the Royal Medal, and the Canada Gairdner International Award.

Mary F. Lyon died in 2014 at the age of 89.

[intelligentliving]

Human X Chromosome Is Completely Sequenced For The First Time

Throughout decades, scientists have gotten close to sequencing the entire human genome, but there were always a few gaps here and there, until now. In a new study, scientists have achieved complete sequencing of the X chromosome from one end to the other, covering over three million previously unmapped base...

[imperium-romanum]

Ancient DNA is a powerful tool for studying the past – when archaeologists and geneticists work together

Ancient DNA allows scientists to learn directly from the remains of people from the past. As this new field takes off, researchers are figuring out how to ethically work with ancient samples and each other.

DNA has moved beyond esoteric science and into the center of everyday conversations about identity, culture and politics. It’s also reshaping stories about the past as advances allow scientists to extract ancient DNA (aDNA) from skeletons found at archaeological sites.

With each ancient genetic sequence, scientists learn new information about how people moved around and interacted in the ancient world. In some cases, this has helped overturn theories and resolve age-old debates.

But the aDNA “revolution” has also caused friction among geneticists, archaeologists and others over how this research is done. As archaeologists who collaborate on aDNA projects, we’ve witnessed these tensions firsthand. What lies at the heart of this rift, and how can these disciplines work together to better research humanity’s past?

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[mudwerks]

Now Chocolate Could Go Extinct, Fabulous

Another daily disaster to file away into the glove compartment of our hearts: according to a new report in Business Insider, chocolate is doomed to be wiped off the face of this cruel world as early as 2050. M&M’s endangered. Snickers perishing. Hershey’s murdered. The last batch of cacao could be ground up and snorted like rhino horns, for all humans care. Thankfully, we have the blessed geneticists.

[importantwomensbirthdays]

Huda Zoghbi

Dr. Huda Zoghbi was born in 1954 in Beirut, Lebanon. Dr. Zoghbi is a geneticist known for her work on neurological disorders. Together with her colleagues, she identified the genetic mutations that cause Rett syndrome. She and Dr. Harry Orr discovered the genetic mutation that causes spinocerebellar ataxia 1. Dr. Zoghbi has won many awards for her research, including the Vilcek Prize in Biomedical Science, the Breakthrough Prize in Life Sciences, and the Kavli Prize in Neuroscience.

[importantwomensbirthdays]

Carrie Derick

Botanist and geneticist Carrie Derick was born in 1862 in Clarenceville, Quebec. In 1891, Derick became the first woman on McGill University's academic staff. Her research was key in the early development of genetic studies at the university. When she was appointed professor of morphological botany in 1912, she became the first woman in Canada to hold a professorship. While at McGill, Derick introduced Canada's first university course on evolution and genetics.

Carrie Derick died in 1941 at the age of 79.

[importantwomensbirthdays]

Ruth Sager

Ruth Sager was born in 1918 in Chicago, Illinois. Sager was a geneticist whose research challenged the widespread view that all genetic information was located in the nucleus of the cell. Later in her career, at Dana Farber Cancer Institute, she conducted research on tumor suppressor genes. Sager was elected to the National Academy of Sciences in 1977.

Ruth Sager died in 1997 at the age of 79.

[importantwomensbirthdays]

Charlotte Auerbach

Geneticist and zoologist Charlotte Auerbach was born in 1899 in Krefeld, Germany. Auerbach fled Nazi Germany and pursued her scientific ambitions in Scotland, where she would stay for the remainder of her career. She became best known for her discovery of genetic mutations in flies caused by mustard gas. In 1948, Auerbach won the Keith Prize from the Royal Society of Edinburgh for this research. From 1959 until 1969, she was Honorary Director at the Unit of Mutagenesis Research at Edinburgh University. In 1977, Auerbach won the Darwin Medal from the Royal Society. 

Charlotte Auerbach died in 1994 at the age of 94.