Fruit Fly Experiments
What is a gene? A gene is a continuous DNA segment that is transcribed into a single preRNA molecule. A zoologist and geneticist named Thomas Hunt Morgan is known for his research with fruit fly. Thomas Morgan was born on September 15,1866 in Lexington, Kentucky. In 1886, he received his B.S. degree at the University of Kentucky. In 1910, Morgan saw that one male fly had a distinct difference about it. Instead of normal red eyes, this fly had white eyes (Allen). He wanted to test the breeding of Drosophila in fruit flies to understand the transmission of genetic traits through their generations. In order to figure out the transmission, Morgan did an experiment of cross testing between white-eyed male flies and red-eyed female flies (Allen).
He wanted to figure out if the white-eyed trait was recessive, which is carried in the genes without having to be shown. When he bred them, he saw that the offspring were all red-eyed but when there were brother and sister mating, their offspring produced white-eyed male flies (Allen). Morgan’s research demonstrated that spontaneous mutations happen very often on the genes of flies and that qualities of Drosophila in flies could be bred. He discovered the sex linkage of the white-eyed gene in male flies, which are heterogametic meaning their sex chromosomes are not the same (Allen). He was able to show that genes are linked in a series on chromosome to make it easy to identify hereditary traits. Morgan contributed to the experimental of embryology and regeneration. In which he discovered that parts of an organism that do not get injure would not regenerate. Morgan was awarded the Nobel Prize, Copley Medal of the Society, and the Darwin Medal for his important role in contributing to chromosome in genes (Allen).
He wanted to figure out if the white-eyed trait was recessive, which is carried in the genes without having to be shown. When he bred them, he saw that the offspring were all red-eyed but when there were brother and sister mating, their offspring produced white-eyed male flies (Allen). Morgan’s research demonstrated that spontaneous mutations happen very often on the genes of flies and that qualities of Drosophila in flies could be bred. He discovered the sex linkage of the white-eyed gene in male flies, which are heterogametic meaning their sex chromosomes are not the same (Allen). He was able to show that genes are linked in a series on chromosome to make it easy to identify hereditary traits. Morgan contributed to the experimental of embryology and regeneration. In which he discovered that parts of an organism that do not get injure would not regenerate. Morgan was awarded the Nobel Prize, Copley Medal of the Society, and the Darwin Medal for his important role in contributing to chromosome in genes (Allen).