Question

Who was Barbara McClintock and what was her major scientific contribution [no more than two (2) sentences].

A) Barbara McClintock was a physicist who contributed to the discovery of DNA's double helix structure.
B) Barbara McClintock was a geneticist who discovered transposons and their role in controlling gene expression.
C) Barbara McClintock was a chemist who isolated the first DNA polymerase enzyme.

Answer 1

Barbara McClintock was a geneticist who discovered transposons and their role in controlling gene expression.

Step-by-step explanation:

Barbara McClintock: Pioneer in Maize Genetics

Barbara McClintock was a geneticist who made significant contributions to the field of genetics. Her major scientific contribution was the discovery of transposons, also known as jumping genes, and their role in controlling gene expression. McClintock's work with maize genetics in the 1930s through 1950s led to the understanding of how transposons move within the genome of an organism and can regulate gene expression. She was awarded the Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine in 1983 for her groundbreaking work.

Barbara McClintock was a geneticist who discovered transposons and their role in controlling gene expression. Her major scientific contribution was pioneering work in maize genetics which led to the identification of mobile genetic elements, or 'jumping genes,' that can move within the genome of an organism. While her discoveries in the 1940s and 1950s were initially met with skepticism, they were later recognized by the wider scientific community, earning her a Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine in 1983.