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"Nobel-Worthy Breakthrough: Thomas Hunt Morgan’s Fruit Fly Odyssey in Genetic Discovery"
In the 1920s, Thomas Hunt Morgan, an American geneticist, conducted a crucial experiment with fruit flies (Drosophila melanogaster) that significantly contributed to the understanding of genetics. Morgan observed that certain traits, such as eye color and wing morphology, could be inherited in a specific manner.
The experiment began by breeding fruit flies with different characteristics, such as red and white eyes. After a series of careful crosses, Morgan noticed that certain traits tended to appear together, while others remained separate. This discovery supported the idea that genes, responsible for inheriting characteristics, are located at specific positions on chromosomes.
Morgan determined that genes reside on chromosomes and that some genes are closely located on the same chromosome. This concept is known as linked inheritance and became crucial for understanding how genes are passed from one generation to the next.
His work with fruit flies laid the foundation for the development of modern genetics, providing key insights into the connection between genes, inheritance, and the evolution of organisms. Morgan's research on fruit flies remains a classic example in the history of biological investigations.