Bryan Clarke facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Bryan Clarke
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| Born |
Bryan Campbell Clarke
24 June 1932 |
| Died | 27 February 2014 (aged 81) |
| Citizenship | British |
| Alma mater | University of Oxford (BA, DPhil) |
| Spouse(s) | Ann Clarke |
| Children | 2 |
| Awards | Linnean Medal (2003) Darwin-Wallace Medal (2008) Darwin Medal (2010) |
| Scientific career | |
| Institutions | University of Nottingham University of Edinburgh |
| Thesis | Some factors affecting shell colour polymorphism in Cepaea (1961) |
| Doctoral students | |
| Other notable students | Fred W. Allendorf |
| Influences | E. B. Ford |
Bryan Campbell Clarke (24 June 1932 – 27 February 2014) was a British scientist. He was a professor of genetics at the University of Nottingham. Professor Clarke was well-known for his studies on how living things change over time, which is called evolution.
He did a lot of important work on polymorphism in snails. This means he studied why snails of the same species can have different shell patterns or colors. He also looked at how natural selection affects changes in genes over time. He helped start the Frozen Ark project, which aims to save the DNA of endangered animals.
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Becoming a Scientist
Bryan Clarke studied at Magdalen College, Oxford. He earned his first degree in 1956. Later, in 1961, he received his PhD from the University of Oxford. His PhD research focused on what makes snail shells have different colors. He studied land snails from the Cepaea group.
His Work and Discoveries
Clarke started his teaching career at the University of Edinburgh in 1959. He became a professor at the University of Nottingham in 1971. He helped create the new Department of Genetics there. He was the head of this department for many years.
Professor Clarke taught and guided many students. Many of them became successful scientists themselves, like Steve Jones. He also helped create the Population Genetics Group. This group holds a science meeting every year in the UK.
Saving Endangered Species
Bryan Clarke, along with his wife Ann and Dame Anne McLaren, co-founded the Frozen Ark project. This project started in 2004. Its goal is to collect and store DNA and living cells from endangered species around the world. This helps protect the genetic information of animals that might disappear forever.
Important Research
Clarke was famous for his work on something called apostatic selection. This is a type of frequency-dependent selection. It means that common forms of prey (like snails with a certain shell pattern) are eaten more often by predators. This helps keep different forms of the prey alive.
He also studied molecular evolution. This is about how genes and proteins change over long periods. He showed that natural selection plays a big role in these changes. He worked with Professor James J Murray Jnr to study snails called Partula on Pacific islands. Their research helped explain how new species are formed.
Awards and Recognition
Bryan Clarke received many important awards for his scientific work:
- In 1982, he became a Fellow of the Royal Society. This is a very high honor for scientists in the UK.
- He received the Linnean Medal for Zoology in 2003.
- In 2008, he was given one of the rare Darwin-Wallace Medals. This award was only given every 50 years at that time.
- The Royal Society awarded him the Darwin Medal in 2010. This was for his important ideas about how genes affect evolution.
