Women in STEM: Barbara McClintock

Barbara McClintock (1902-1992) was the geneticist who discovered transposition, which means that genes can move to different chromosomes. These were also known as "jumping genes," or transposons. She also discovered gene regulation - that "controlling elements" regulated the transposons. McClintock won the 1970 National Medal of Science and the 1983 Nobel in Physiology or Medicine.

Learn more:

• Nobel Prize lecture
• Scientists speaking about Barbara McClintock
• Barbara McClintock Papers at the National Library of Medicine
• Barbara McClintock Papers at the American Philosophical Society

public domain photo from Smithsonian Archives; SIA Acc. 90-105 [SIA2008-5609]