Barbara McClintock
Barbara McClintock (June 16, 1902 - September 2, 1992) was an American geneticist and a pioneer in the study of maize, best known for discovering jumping genes or transposons—segments of DNA that can move within the genome. Her research showed that genetic material is not fixed but dynamic and subject to complex regulation, fundamentally changing the understanding of genetics. Although her findings were initially met with skepticism, they were later widely confirmed and celebrated. In 1983, McClintock was awarded the Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine, becoming the first woman to receive the prize solo in that category.
Quotes
- When you know you’re right, you don't care what others think. You know sooner or later it will come out in the wash.
- If you know you are on the right track, if you have this inner knowledge, then nobody can turn you off... no matter what they say.
- I know my corn plants intimately, and I find it a great pleasure to know them.
- It might seem unfair to reward a person for having so much pleasure over the years, asking the maize plant to solve specific problems and then watching its responses.
- I was just so interested in what I was doing I could hardly wait to get up in the morning and get at it. One of my friends, a geneticist, said I was a child, because only children can't wait to get up in the morning to get at what they want to do.