Barbara McClintock: Pioneering Geneticist (Makers of Modern Science)

This entry in the Makers of Modern Science set provides a biography of McClintock and includes a detailed account of her scientific work. Born in 1902, she became fascinated with science in high school, was drawn to genetics in college, and pursued a career in that field despite the many obstacles in her path. Her meticulous work on the genetics of maize proved to have implications beyond the expectations of many fellow scientists and led to a Nobel Prize in 1983. McClintock’s personality comes out somewhat in the discussions, but the narrative’s main thrust is her devotion to her research and her ability to do important work even in a period when women were unwelcome in her field. Though readers with no knowledge of genetics may have trouble following the explanations of her research, the import of McClintock’s work is made apparent.