Comments on: Genome Sequencing vs Genetic Mapping http://www.jamesandthegiantcorn.com/2010/01/19/genome-sequencing-vs-genetic-mapping/ Genetics: Studying the Source Code of Nature Thu, 12 Jan 2012 03:50:37 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.3.1 By: James http://www.jamesandthegiantcorn.com/2010/01/19/genome-sequencing-vs-genetic-mapping/comment-page-1/#comment-4546 James Tue, 19 Jan 2010 23:16:25 +0000 http://www.jamesandthegiantcorn.com/?p=1234#comment-4546 She sure was! I think part of what made Barbara McClintock so successful was that her personality and research style in some ways minimized the impact of the general lack of respect for female scientists at the time. (And from the stories by PI tells, she was clearly respected in the maize community and at our annual research meeting, at least later in life.) So I'm not sure how much more she would have accomplished if she'd worked in an era with more modern views. The way I see it, the real question is how much breakthrough research did we missed out on from other women who had scientific potential on the order of McClintock, but weren't as much of loners and so were more vulnerable to the perceptions of those around them. (The counter argument of course would be that Barbara McClintock wasn't a loner by inclination, at least a first, but rather was forced into that role by being an awesome female scientist at a time when many people didn't believe such a person could exist.) She sure was! I think part of what made Barbara McClintock so successful was that her personality and research style in some ways minimized the impact of the general lack of respect for female scientists at the time. (And from the stories by PI tells, she was clearly respected in the maize community and at our annual research meeting, at least later in life.) So I’m not sure how much more she would have accomplished if she’d worked in an era with more modern views.

The way I see it, the real question is how much breakthrough research did we missed out on from other women who had scientific potential on the order of McClintock, but weren’t as much of loners and so were more vulnerable to the perceptions of those around them.

(The counter argument of course would be that Barbara McClintock wasn’t a loner by inclination, at least a first, but rather was forced into that role by being an awesome female scientist at a time when many people didn’t believe such a person could exist.)

]]> By: mr_subjunctive http://www.jamesandthegiantcorn.com/2010/01/19/genome-sequencing-vs-genetic-mapping/comment-page-1/#comment-4545 mr_subjunctive Tue, 19 Jan 2010 15:51:42 +0000 http://www.jamesandthegiantcorn.com/?p=1234#comment-4545 Barbara McClintock was a badass. I wonder what she could have accomplished had women been respected as scientists at the time. Barbara McClintock was a badass. I wonder what she could have accomplished had women been respected as scientists at the time.

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