Born 5 Apr 1870; died 17 Jan 1946 at age 75.
Published
Clarence Erwin McClung was an American #geneticist and paleontologist who discovered the role of #chromosomes in #sex determination in a species of grasshopper.
In a key paper, he reported that #sperm exist in two forms, each with a different chromosome configuration. Thus, he was one of the first (1901) to deduce that chromosomes determine the sex of #offspring.
McClung also studied how the behaviour of chromosomes in the sex #cells of different #organisms affects their #heredity. His theory was one of many that inspired scientists to pursue investigations such as the #HumanGenomeProject, an attempt to map the structure and location of all #human #genes. He also published on Cretaceous fishes.
