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Like the polar bears that captured his heart, Markus Dyck was an icon of the North, known for an unflagging dedication to his work and his passionate personality. Born 25 [...]

On 27 May 2021 Sergei Sookovich Serotetto died in the tundra of the Yamal Peninsula, West Siberia, at the age of 66. Sergei was well known, not only as an [...]

Author(s): Sanford Simon For much of the twentieth century, biologists puzzled over how the proteins that build, run and leave cells get where they need to be. Over five decades, [...]

Polymath of cellular evolution who shaped understanding of the tree of life. Polymath of cellular evolution who shaped understanding of the tree of life., Author(s): Thomas Richards Author Affiliations: Thomas Cavalier-Smith (1942-2021) Credit: John M. Archibald Thomas Cavalier-Smith sitting in his library in 2012 Since Charles Darwin first proposed his theory of evolution, biologists [...]

Recently, I was searching for information on Bentley Glass, a distinguished geneticist and a founding member of the Biological Sciences Curriculum Study (BSCS), which celebrated its 50th anniversary in 2007. [...]

It is a particular pleasure for me to have been asked by Jim Berry to write the first article in this biographical series. When J. Dan Webster retired in 1984 [...]

Born in, and raised in and near Vienna, Alfred Locker embarked on a study of medicine when the Second World War brought these studies to a sudden halt, obliging him [...]

The contributions of Herbert G. Baker in science include the studies of plant breeding systems, the evolution of the breeding systems and the human influence on the plant evolution.

1951-2000 TRIBUTE FROM A FRIEND I first met Clive when he was an undergraduate at Bristol, studying zoology. Oundle was an important way-point. He always told me that his biology [...]

Biologist John Jermyn Christian died on Jan 26, 1997. Christian was first exposed to the field of population biology through the book 'Voles, Mice and Lemmings.' He is remembered for his dedication to the field of mammalogy as evidenced by his accumulation of about 3,000 specimens of small mammals in a span of 40 years. His tendency to publish important papers in obscure journals is also fondly recalled as well as his watercoloring skills.

A biologist recalls his first, and subsequent, meetings with Nobel Prize winner Thomas Hunt Morgan, chairman of the biology department at Caltech, who also happens to have wielded considerable influence in his life. Morgan, who founded the Division of Biology at Caltech in 1928, was noted for his skepticism and abhorrence of speculation that led him to develop a passion for research. Some of his well-known experiments focused on Drosophila genetics and marine animals.

Biologist John Aldrich was born on Feb 23, 1906 in Providence, RI. He graduated from Brown University in 1928 majoring in biology and earned a Ph.B. He worked as a museum aid, biological assistant, ornithologist and curator in several natural museums. In 1933, he married Louise Kendall and they resided in Virginia. In 1947, he was appointed as a section head of the Fish and Wildlife Service, mostly involved in bird studies. He was also a member of scientific and conservation organizations. Aldrich died on May 3, 1995 due to a stroke.

Developmental biologist Peter D. Nieuwkoop died at the age of 79, on Sep. 18, 1996. He is best known for his work in neural induction, meso-endoderm induction, germ cell formation in chordates and other areas of vertebrate development. Nieuwkoop, who was born in Enschede, the Netherlands, promoted the use of Xenopus and urodeles in embryology research. He also served as Hubrecht Laboratorium director from 1953-1980 and University of Utrecht zoology professor from 1956-1984.

Friederich Wilhelm Benedikt Hofmeister (1824-1877) stands as one of the truegiants in the history of biology and belongs in the same pantheon as Darwinand Mendel. Yet by comparison, he is virtually unknown. If he is known atall, it is for his early work on flowering plant embryology and his ground-breaking discovery of the alternation of generations in plants, which he published at age 27 in 1851. Remarkable as the latter study was, it was but a prelude to the more fundamental contributions he was to make in the study of plant growth and development expressed in his books on plant cell biology (Die Lehre von der Pfanzenzelle, 1867) and plant morphology (Allgemeine Morphologie der Gewachse, 1868). In this article we review his remarkable life and career, highlighting the fact that his scientific accomplishments were based largely on self-education in all areas of biology, physics, and chemistry. We describe his research accomplishments, including his early embryological studies and their influence on Mendel's genetic studies as well as his elucidation of the alternation of generations, and we review in detail his cell biology and morphology books. It is in the latter two works that Hofmeister the experimentalist and biophysicist is most manifest. Not only did Hofmeister explore the mechanisms of cytoplasmic streaming, plant morphogenesis, and the effects of gravity and light on their development, but in each instance he developed a biophysical model to integrate and interpret his wealth of observational and experimental data. Because of the lack of attention to the cell and morphology books, Hofmeister's true genius has not been recognized. After studying several evaluations of Hofmeister by contemporary and later workers, we conclude that his reputation became eclipsed because he was so far ahead of his contemporaries that no one could understand or appreciate his work. In addition, his basically organismic framework was out of step with the more reductionistic cytogenetic work that later came in vogue. We suggest that the translation of the cell and morphology books in English would help re-establish him as one of the most notable scientists in the history of plant biology. Key words: alternation of generations; cell biology; cell theory; cell walls; embryology; Hofmeister, Wilhelm; morphogenesis; morphology; organismal theory.

K. John Knox Jr. died of cancer in his home in Lubbock, Texas on Nov 15, 1992. Knox was an active member of The American Society of Mammalogists (ASM). He conducted research studies in mammalogy, including his dissertation, 'Distribution and taxonomy of mammals of Nebraska,' which was published in 1964. Knox's greatest contribution to mammalogy was the training he provided for future mammalogists. The J. Knox Jones, Jr., Memorial Scholarship at Texas Tech University was created in his honor.

Biologist Lancelot Hogben was known for his contributions in the fields of medical statistics, comparative zoology and human and medical genetics. Hogben, who was born in Swansea, U.K., on Dec. 9, 1895, is the inventor of the standard pregnancy test and one of the founders of the Society for Experimental Zoology. Hogben's work on genetics involve the interdependence of nature and nurture in the study of the origin of traits.

Francis Hollis Fay died of cardiac arrest on June 9, 1994, at the age of 67. Fay was an internationally known authority on marine mammal biology. Among his signicant contributions were his studies on the Pacific walrus, Odobenus rosmarus and the pathogenic cestode, Echinococcus multiocularis. Fay is survived by his wife Barbara and by daughter and son, Hollis and Jeffrey. A bibliography of F.H. Fay's studies is presented.

Evolutionary biologist Emmet Thurman Hooper, Jr. passed away on Jun. 28, 1992 in Santa Cruz, CA, after a lingering illness. Hooper contributed immensely to the study of mammalogy, particularly systematic mammalogy and its development in North America, through his teaching, curating, involvement in the American Society of Mammalogists and other groups and research on rodents and their systematics.