Thomas Hunt Morgan Essay

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Despite these setbacks, several geneticists were successful in their research of mutations. One such person, the previously mentioned Thomas Hunt Morgan, was able to demonstrate that mutations have the ability to produce many different alleles, or versions of one gene. This was in contrast to the previous belief that one trait is caused by a dominant gene and the opposite trait is caused by a recessive gene with no cross-over between the two. Morgan also proved that mutations do not result in an entirely new species as earlier scientists had thought; rather, mutations created new characteristics that could be passed on to later generations of the same species (Understanding Evolution). Alfred H. Sturtevant expanded on Morgan’s work by discovering that “two closely related species of Drosophila had similar allelic mutations, or unique forms of a gene that develop through mutation” (Vigue 3: 836). The outcomes of his studies showed that species develop as a result of unique combinations of mutations. He also found that a some mutations could be reversed. For example, a biochemical produced by the fruit flies’ normal eye tissue could diffuse into mutated eye tissue causing it to return to normal (Vigue 3: 836). This discovery proved that not all mutations would exist long enough to be passed on to offspring. On the other hand, Hermann Joseph Muller, focused his work with …show more content…
Haldane used their combined research to create mathematical models to explain the natural process of evolution. This formed a new field of study which became known as population genetics. Population geneticists focused on finding accurate ways to model and predict the evolutionary mutations of a group or species. They eventually agreed with Morgan’s theory that evolution is the product of many small mutations rather than a few drastic mutations (Understanding Evolution). This concept continues to be the widely accepted
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