1866-1945

American zoologist and geneticist who is best known for his genetics research on the fruit fly (Drosophila), which established the chromosome theory of heredity. Morgan's work demonstrated that genes are linked in a linear sequence on the chromosomes. Morgan was awarded the Nobel Prize for physiology or medicine in 1933 for his contributions to genetics. He also contributed to the fields of experimental embryology and cytology. His laboratory at Columbia University was a major center of research into heredity. Morgan and his associates established techniques for chromosome mapping.