14 / 116
In 1941, McClintock got
a research position at
the Cold Spring Harbor
Laboratory on Long Island
in New York. She worked
there for the rest of her life.
At the Cold Spring Harbor
Laboratory, McClintock was
free to do the research she
loved. She often worked 80
hours a week.
McClintock presented
the results of her research
at a meeting in 1951. Most
scientists didn’t understand
what McClintock was
talking about. Others
simply didn’t believe her.
At first, McClintock was
disappointed and surprised
at the reaction she got.
But she went back to her
research. Once again, she
didn’t care what others thought. She knew she was right.
Although McClintock won several awards, her work still wasn’t widely
appreciated. That began to change in the 1970s. By then, scientists were
able to use new technology to study McClintock’s ideas. They proved what
she had known to be true since 1951. It had been more than 25 years
since she had first presented her ideas.
Finally, McClintock’s theories were accepted by other scientists. In 1983,
at the age of 81, she received the Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine.
She was one of the first scientists to describe how genetic material controls
the way an organism develops.
King Gustav of Sweden presents the
Nobel Prize to Barbara McClintock.
14