Eric F. Wieschaus facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Eric Francis Wieschaus
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Eric F. Wieschaus in 2011
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| Born | June 8, 1947 South Bend, Indiana, U.S.
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| Alma mater | University of Notre Dame (B.S.) Yale University (Ph.D.) |
| Known for | Embryogenesis |
| Awards | Genetics Society of America Medal (1995) Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine (1995) |
| Scientific career | |
| Fields | Developmental biology |
| Institutions | Princeton University Robert Wood Johnson Medical School |
Eric Francis Wieschaus (born June 8, 1947) is an American scientist. He studies how living things develop from a single cell. In 1995, he won the Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine. He shared this award for his important discoveries about how genes control the early development of an embryo.
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Early Life and Education
Eric Wieschaus was born in South Bend, Indiana. He went to John Carroll Catholic High School in Birmingham, Alabama. For his college studies, he attended the University of Notre Dame. He earned a bachelor's degree in biology there. Later, he went to Yale University for his graduate studies. He received his Ph.D. in biology from Yale.
Discovering Development
In 1978, Eric Wieschaus began working at the European Molecular Biology Laboratory in Heidelberg, Germany. He moved to Princeton University in the United States in 1981.
Much of his research focused on the fruit fly, called Drosophila melanogaster. He studied how these flies develop from a tiny egg into a full insect. This process is called embryogenesis. He was especially interested in how the body plan of the fly forms very early on.
Genes and Embryo Formation
Wieschaus studied the genes that control how an embryo develops. He found that some important instructions for development are already in the unfertilized egg. These instructions come from the mother. However, a few key instructions come from the embryo's own genes. These genes become active right after the egg is fertilized.
Wieschaus wanted to understand how these "zygotically active genes" work. He believed that the timing and location of these genes turning on control the normal steps of development.
The Heidelberg Screen
To study these genes, Eric Wieschaus and his colleague Christiane Nüsslein-Volhard did a huge experiment. They created many fruit flies with small changes, called mutations, in their genes. They then looked to see how these changes affected the flies' development.
They studied thousands of flies to find out which genes were essential for an embryo to survive. This large-scale study helped them identify many genes that control early development. This work became known as the Heidelberg screen.
Nobel Prize Recognition
In 1995, Eric Wieschaus, along with Edward B. Lewis and Christiane Nüsslein-Volhard, received the Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine. They were honored for their groundbreaking work. Their discoveries showed how genes control the very first steps of embryonic development. This research helped us understand how complex living things are formed.
As of 2018, Wieschaus is a professor of Molecular Biology at Princeton University.
Personal Life
Eric Wieschaus is married to Gertrud Schüpbach, who is also a molecular biologist. She is also a professor at Princeton University. They have three daughters.
Awards and Honors
- Member of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences, elected 1993
- Member of the National Academy of Sciences, elected 1994
- Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine, 1995
- Member of the American Philosophical Society, elected 1998
- Mendel Medal of the Genetics Society, 1999
Images for kids
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Drosophila Melanogaster, the fruit fly Wieschaus studied
