H. G. Callan facts for kids
Harold Garnet Callan (born March 15, 1917, died November 3, 1993), often called Mick Callan, was an English scientist. He was a zoologist, who studies animals, and a cytologist, who studies cells. He is best known for his important work on special parts of cells called Lampbrush chromosomes.
Contents
Life and Discoveries
Early Life and Education
Mick Callan was born in Maidenhead, England. His father was a naval architect, who designs ships, and his mother was a teacher.
He went to King's College School in Wimbledon. Later, he earned a top degree in Zoology from Oxford University in 1938.
Starting His Science Career
Callan first worked at the John Innes Institute. Then, he got a special chance to study at the Stazione Zoologica in Naples, Italy. He first planned to study how octopus hormones work.
It was in Naples that he first saw Lampbrush chromosomes. These unique structures became the main focus of his scientific life.
Serving During Wartime
His studies in Naples were stopped by the Second World War. Mick joined the RAF (Royal Air Force). He became a Squadron Leader, which is a high rank.
He then moved to work on radar research and operations. Radar helps detect objects using radio waves.
After the War and Later Career
After the war, Mick Callan got married. He then worked at University College, London. Later, he moved to Edinburgh to work with a famous biologist named Conrad Hal Waddington.
In 1950, Callan earned a D.Sc. degree from the University of Edinburgh. He then became a professor at St Andrews University. He held this important position from 1950 to 1982.
He was chosen as a member of the Royal Society of Edinburgh in 1952. In 1963, he became a member of the Royal Society. These are very respected science groups. St Andrews University also gave him an honorary doctorate in 1984.
Mick Callan also helped science around the world. He traveled to Russia and China to support scientific progress. After he retired, he continued his research with Dr. Joe Gall in Baltimore. They studied tiny cell parts called snurposomes and how RNA is packaged.
He passed away at his home near Dundee in 1993.
Family Life
Mick Callan met his wife, Amarillis Maria Speranza Dohrn, in Naples. They got married there in 1944. They had one son and two daughters.
