Hermann Joseph Muller
Hermann Joseph Muller ( born December 21, 1890 in Manhattan, New York, USA, † April 5, 1967 in Indianapolis, USA) was an American biologist and geneticist. For the discovery that mutations by means of X -rays may be caused, he received the 1946 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine.
Life and work
In 1927, Muller observed the spontaneous mutation of genes and could cause mutations in fruit flies by irradiation. He showed such a way that high-energy radiation can lead to a change in the genetic material. For this discovery he was awarded the 1946 Nobel Prize for Medicine.
In 1932, Muller moved to Germany, then to Russia and Scotland. In 1945 he became professor of zoology at Indiana University. Muller classified different types of mutations.
He was also active politically and was regarded as a staunch communist. He also fought against fundamental Christian attacks on the theory of evolution. 1947 Muller President of the Genetics Society of America. Muller died in 1967 of congestive heart failure.