# Barbara McClintock

_American scientist and cytogeneticist_

Canonical: https://diginpl.com/people/barbara-mcclintock
Last updated: 2026-11-01

> Barbara McClintock was an American cytogeneticist who was awarded the 1983 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine. McClintock received her PhD in botany from Cornell University in 1927. There, she started her career as the leader of the development of maize cytogenetics, the focus of her research for the rest of her life. From the late 1920s, McClintock studied chromosomes and how they change during reproduction in maize. She developed the technique for visualizing maize chromosomes and used microscopic analysis to demonstrate many fundamental genetic ideas. One of those ideas was the notion of genetic recombination by crossing-over during meiosis—a mechanism by which chromosomes exchange information. She demonstrated the role of the telomere and centromere, regions of the chromosome that are important in the conservation of genetic information. She was recognized as among the best in the field, awarded prestigious fellowships, and elected a member of the National Academy of Sciences in 1944.

## Quick facts

- **Born:** 16 June 1902 ([Wikidata](https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q199654#P569))
- **Place of birth:** Hartford ([Wikidata](https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q199654#P19))
- **Died:** 2 September 1992 ([Wikidata](https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q199654#P570))
- **Place of death:** Huntington ([Wikidata](https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q199654#P20))
- **Citizenship:** United States ([Wikidata](https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q199654#P27))
- **Occupation:** botanist; cytogeneticist; chemist; university teacher; geneticist; cell biologist ([Wikidata](https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q199654#P106))
- **Education:** Cornell University; Erasmus Hall High School; Cornell University College of Agriculture and Life Sciences; University of Missouri ([Wikidata](https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q199654#P69))
- **Awards:** Guggenheim Fellowship; MacArthur Fellows Program; Albert Lasker Award for Basic Medical Research; Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine; Wolf Prize in Medicine; National Women's Hall of Fame; National Medal of Science; Thomas Hunt Morgan Medal; Louisa Gross Horwitz Prize; Connecticut Women's Hall of Fame; Kimber Genetics Award; Rosenstiel Award; Grand Prix Charles-Leopold Mayer; Fellow of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences; Foreign Member of the Royal Society ([Wikidata](https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q199654#P166))

## Questions

**When was Barbara McClintock born?**  
Barbara McClintock was born on 16 June 1902 in Hartford.

**Where did Barbara McClintock study?**  
Barbara McClintock was educated at Cornell University, Erasmus Hall High School, Cornell University College of Agriculture and Life Sciences, University of Missouri.

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## Sources

- [Wikipedia (English): Barbara McClintock](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Barbara_McClintock) — [CC BY-SA 4.0](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/)
- [Wikipedia (Nepali): बारबारा म्याकिन्टोक](https://ne.wikipedia.org/wiki/%E0%A4%AC%E0%A4%BE%E0%A4%B0%E0%A4%AC%E0%A4%BE%E0%A4%B0%E0%A4%BE_%E0%A4%AE%E0%A5%8D%E0%A4%AF%E0%A4%BE%E0%A4%95%E0%A4%BF%E0%A4%A8%E0%A5%8D%E0%A4%9F%E0%A5%8B%E0%A4%95) — [CC BY-SA 4.0](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/)
- [Wikidata item Q199654](https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q199654) — [CC0 1.0](https://creativecommons.org/publicdomain/zero/1.0/)
- [Image: Barbara McClintock (1902-1992) shown in her laboratory in 1947.jpg by Smithsonian Institution /Science Service; Restored by Adam Cuerden (Public domain)](https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Barbara_McClintock_(1902-1992)_shown_in_her_laboratory_in_1947.jpg)

## Licence and attribution

Text from the Wikipedia article Barbara McClintock, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0. This page's text is shared under the same licence. Facts from Wikidata (CC0). Image: Barbara McClintock (1902-1992) shown in her laboratory in 1947.jpg — Smithsonian Institution /Science Service; Restored by Adam Cuerden, Public domain.

## Cite this page

"Barbara McClintock". DigiNepal. Last updated 1 November 2026. https://diginpl.com/people/barbara-mcclintock. Retrieved 5 November 2026.