The wind behind the sails of evolution | Nina Fedoroff on Barbara McClintock

Carnegie scientist Barbara McClintock discovered, in corn, that some genes jump from one place in a chromosome to another. Similar things occur in most organisms, including humans. This discovery, which earned McClintock a Nobel prize in 1983, led to dramatic advances in understanding infectious disease and evolution.
Nina Fedoroff, a former Staff Scientist at Carnegie Science's Department of Embryology, was awarded the National Medal of Science for her work on plant molecular biology and her contribution to education and public policy about genetic modification of plants.