Thomas Hunt Morgan

25 September 1866 – 4 December 1945

Thomas Hunt Morgan was an American evolutionary biologist, geneticist, and embryologist who demonstrated that genes are carried on chromosomes. Using the fruit fly Drosophila melanogaster, his work established the chromosome theory of heredity and earned him the Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine.

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Life events

Born in Lexington, Kentucky
25 September 1866

Thomas Hunt Morgan was born into a prominent Kentucky family.

Source: en.wikipedia.org
Birth ✓
Earned a PhD from Johns Hopkins University
1890

He received his doctorate in zoology, studying embryology.

Source: en.wikipedia.org
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Joined Columbia University
1904

He became a professor at Columbia, where he established his famous fly lab.

Source: en.wikipedia.org
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Discovered white-eyed mutant fruit fly
1910

His discovery of a white-eyed male Drosophila provided evidence for sex-linked inheritance.

Source: en.wikipedia.org
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Published The Mechanism of Mendelian Heredity
1915

With his students he co-authored a foundational text on chromosomal inheritance.

Source: en.wikipedia.org
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Moved to Caltech
1928

He established the biology division at the California Institute of Technology.

Source: en.wikipedia.org
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Awarded the Nobel Prize
1933

He won the Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine for discoveries on the role of chromosomes in heredity.

Source: en.wikipedia.org
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Died in Pasadena, California
4 December 1945

Thomas Hunt Morgan died at the age of 79.

Source: en.wikipedia.org
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