Richard Goldschmidt American zoologist and geneticist of German descent Date of Birth: 12.04.1878 Country: USA

1. Early Life and Education
2. Professorship and Research
3. Return to Germany and Emigration
4. Evolutionary Views
5. Hopeful Monsters
6. Nematode Research and Legacy

Early Life and Education

Richard Goldschmidt, a German-born American zoologist and geneticist, was born in Frankfurt am Main to a Jewish family. In 1899, he began studying zoology and medicine at Heidelberg University, earning a doctorate in philosophy in 1903.

Professorship and Research

In 1909, Goldschmidt became a professor at the University of Munich. In 1914, he headed the genetics section at the newly founded Kaiser Wilhelm Institute of Biology. However, the outbreak of World War I forced him to seek refuge in the United States, where he was held in a camp for "dangerous Germans."

Return to Germany and Emigration

After returning to Germany in 1919, Goldschmidt faced pressure from the Nazi regime and was forced to leave again in 1935. He continued his work at the University of California, Berkeley.

Evolutionary Views

Goldschmidt's initial studies on sex genetics led him to support Darwinism. However, he later concluded that natural selection could only eliminate unsuccessful mutants, not lead to new species. By 1932, he envisioned systemic mutations, or "macro-mutations," as the driving force behind speciation.

Hopeful Monsters

In 1940, Goldschmidt published his influential book, "The Material Basis of Evolution." It argued against Darwinism, proposing that macro-mutations could generate large-scale changes, creating new species through "hopeful monsters."

Nematode Research and Legacy

Goldschmidt's descriptions of the nematode nervous system inspired Sidney Brenner to use Caenorhabditis elegans as a model organism for studying developmental biology, including neuronal development.