Albert Francis Blakeslee American botanist and geneticist Date of Birth: 09.11.1874 Country: USA

1. Biography of Albert Francis Blakeslee
2. Early Career
3. Research on Mutants
4. Contributions to Genetics
5. Later Career and Legacy

Biography of Albert Francis Blakeslee

Albert Francis Blakeslee (1874–1954) was an American botanist and geneticist known for his contributions to the study of gene balance in chromosomal mutants. He was born on November 9, 1874, in Geneseo, New York. Blakeslee earned his Bachelor's degree from Wesleyan University in 1896 and his Ph.D. from Harvard University in 1904.

Early Career

After completing his education, Blakeslee spent some time working in Germany before returning to Harvard. From 1899 to 1907, he worked at Harvard University and then held the position of professor of botany and genetics at Connecticut Agricultural College (now Connecticut University) from 1907 to 1914. During this time, he focused on studying the genetics of higher plants and gained recognition for his book "Trees in Winter."

Research on Mutants

In 1915, Blakeslee joined the Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory in New York, where he worked at the Station for Experimental Evolution of the Carnegie Institution until 1941. He served as the director of the institute from 1936 to 1941. Blakeslee's primary research focused on studying mutants. In 1904, he discovered the phenomenon of heterothallism in fungi, which refers to physiological and genetic differences between male and female individuals without morphological differences. He also pioneered the use of colchicine to induce polyploidy in plant cells in 1937.

Contributions to Genetics

Blakeslee's groundbreaking work involved the use of the plant Datura to study the process of mutation. Through his research, he demonstrated that many mutations resulted from the addition of an extra chromosome to one of the pairs of normal chromosomes. His findings greatly contributed to our understanding of gene balance in chromosomal mutants.

Later Career and Legacy

After leaving Cold Spring Harbor, Blakeslee served as the director of Smith College in Northampton from 1943 to 1949. During his tenure, he established the Station for Experimental Genetics. Blakeslee passed away on November 16, 1954, in Northampton, Massachusetts. His research and discoveries continue to have a lasting impact on the field of genetics.