History's Most Influential Scientists and Their Earth-Shattering Contributions

Barbara McClintock

Barbara McClintock, an American scientist, made groundbreaking discoveries in the field of genetics. Her work on the cytogenetics of maize led her to discover transposons or "jumping genes," sequences of DNA that move positions within the genome of a single cell. This discovery, for which she received a Nobel Prize in 1983, has had profound implications for genetic research and biotechnology.