Born 16 Jun 1902; died 3 Sep 1992 at age 90.

#American #scientist regarded as one of the most important figures in the history of #genetics.

In the 1940s and 1950s McClintock's work on the #cytogenetics of #maize led her to theorize that #genes are #transposable - they can move around - on and between #chromosomes.

McClintock drew this inference by observing changing patterns of coloration in maize kernels over #generations of controlled crosses. The idea that genes could move did not seem to fit with what was then known about genes, but improved #molecular techniques of the late 1970s and early 1980s allowed other scientists to confirm her discovery.

She was awarded the 1983 #NobelPrize in #Physiology or Medicine, the first American #woman to win an #unshared Nobel Prize.

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