Podcast
Questions and Answers
What specific contribution of Nettie Stevens is highlighted as groundbreaking?
What specific contribution of Nettie Stevens is highlighted as groundbreaking?
- Her research on the impact of environmental factors on sex determination.
- Her identification of X and Y chromosomes as determinants of sex. (correct)
- Her development of new microscopic techniques for studying reproductive cells.
- Her work on genetic mutations in mealworms.
Which institution funded the crucial research on mealworms that led to Stevens's discovery?
Which institution funded the crucial research on mealworms that led to Stevens's discovery?
- Stanford University
- Bryn Mawr College
- The Carnegie Institute (correct)
- The National Science Foundation
What was the prevailing scientific belief about sex determination before Stevens's research?
What was the prevailing scientific belief about sex determination before Stevens's research?
- External factors played a significant role in determining sex. (correct)
- Sex was determined by specific chromosomes inherited from each parent.
- Sex was determined by a combination of genetic and environmental factors.
- Sex was predetermined at the moment of conception by a yet-unknown mechanism.
What organism did Stevens primarily study in her research on sex determination?
What organism did Stevens primarily study in her research on sex determination?
In what year did Nettie Stevens publish her pivotal findings on sex determination?
In what year did Nettie Stevens publish her pivotal findings on sex determination?
Who acknowledged the significance of Stevens's research with the quote: "Her work will be remembered"?
Who acknowledged the significance of Stevens's research with the quote: "Her work will be remembered"?
What degree did Nettie Stevens earn from Bryn Mawr College?
What degree did Nettie Stevens earn from Bryn Mawr College?
Why was Stevens's research considered a "monumental step"?
Why was Stevens's research considered a "monumental step"?
Besides mealworms, what other subjects did Stevens's research encompass, further strengthening her findings?
Besides mealworms, what other subjects did Stevens's research encompass, further strengthening her findings?
When did Stevens's work gain widespread recognition within the scientific community?
When did Stevens's work gain widespread recognition within the scientific community?
Flashcards
Nettie Stevens
Nettie Stevens
A US biologist known for her discoveries in genetics, especially in sex determination.
Sex determination
Sex determination
The biological concept explaining how an organism's sex is determined by chromosomes.
X and Y chromosomes
X and Y chromosomes
Sex chromosomes where X is associated with females and Y with males.
Carnegie Institute research
Carnegie Institute research
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PhD from Bryn Mawr College
PhD from Bryn Mawr College
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Chromosomal behavior
Chromosomal behavior
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Thomas Hunt Morgan
Thomas Hunt Morgan
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Mealworms in research
Mealworms in research
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Groundbreaking discovery
Groundbreaking discovery
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Legacy of Nettie Stevens
Legacy of Nettie Stevens
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Study Notes
Nettie Stevens: Early 20th Century Geneticist
- Nettie Stevens, a US biologist, made a pioneering discovery about how animal sex is determined by specific chromosomes.
- She was one of the first female scientists recognized for her contributions to genetics.
- While significant, her work was largely overlooked during her lifetime.
- Graduated from Stanford in 1900, and got her doctorate in 1903, under Thomas Hunt Morgan's supervision.
- Studied biology at an early stage in her career.
- Conducted research on chromosomal behavior in mealworms and published her findings in 1905, identifying a link between a physical characteristic and a specific chromosome.
Sex Determination
- Early 20th century scientists debated the cause of biological sex, attributing it to external factors like temperature or nutrition during the embryonic stage.
- Stevens's research involving mealworms proved that sex determination hinges on chromosomes, specifically the X and Y chromosomes in males and only X chromosomes in females.
- Her work provided crucial insights into chromosomal inheritance and the theory of heredity.
- Her research concluded that sex was determined by chromosomes the organism inherits from each parent, a groundbreaking discovery.
- This insight was not widely appreciated until after her death.
Stevens's Career and Impact
- Stevens's research was meticulous, involving the detailed study of reproductive cells under a microscope, providing key evidence supporting the theory of chromosomal inheritance.
- Her research extended across many insect species.
- She rejected a research professor position at Bryn Mawr due to declining health and died soon after in 1912.
- Thomas Hunt Morgan, a prominent geneticist, recognized the significance of her work as evidenced by the quote "Her work will be remembered," in 1912.
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