C. D. Darlington

C. D. Darlington
Born19 December 1903
Chorley, Lancashire
Died26 March 1981(1981-03-26) (aged 77)
Alma materUniversity of London
AwardsRoyal Medal (1946)
Mendel Medal (1972)
Scientific career
FieldsGenetics, Botany, Cytology
Author abbrev. (botany)C.D.Darl.

Cyril Dean Darlington FRS[1] (19 December 1903 – 26 March 1981) was an English biologist, cytologist, geneticist, and eugenicist. He discovered the mechanics of chromosomal crossover,[2] its role in inheritance, and thus its importance to evolution. He was the Sherardian Professor of Botany at the University of Oxford from 1953 to 1971.

Darlington's research on genetics contributed to the modern evolutionary synthesis in the 20th century.[3] However, many of his views are controversial; Darlington was listed in 1999 by the Southern Poverty Law Center as an example of a prominent race scientist who espoused antisemitism, eugenics, racism, and social Darwinism.[4]

  1. ^ Lewis, D. (1983). "Cyril Dean Darlington. 19 December 1903-26 March 1981". Biographical Memoirs of Fellows of the Royal Society. 29: 113–126. doi:10.1098/rsbm.1983.0005. S2CID 58622124.
  2. ^ Benirschke, K. (2004). "The Man Who Invented the Chromosome: A Life of Cyril Darlington". Journal of Heredity. 95 (6): 541–542. doi:10.1093/jhered/esh080.
  3. ^ Hull, David L. (1998). Science as a process: an evolutionary account of the social and conceptual development of science (Paperback, [Nachdr.] ed.). Chicago: University of Chicago Press. pp. 70–71. ISBN 0-226-36051-2.
  4. ^ "In Their Own Words: Racism, Anti-Semitism, Eugenics, Social Darwinism..." Southern Poverty Law Center. Archived from the original on 1 June 2023. Retrieved 1 June 2023.

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