Joachim Hämmerling facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Joachim Hämmerling
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| Born | 9 March 1901 |
| Died | 5 August 1980 (aged 79) |
Dr. Joachim Hämmerling (born March 9, 1901, died August 5, 1980) was an important Danish-German biologist. He discovered that the nucleus inside a cell controls how an organism develops. He did his research using a special green algae called Acetabularia. His work helped scientists understand how cells work and showed that certain substances, later called mRNP, guide development.
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About Joachim Hämmerling
Joachim Hämmerling was born in Berlin, Germany, on March 9, 1901. He studied at the University of Berlin and the University of Marburg. He earned his doctorate degree in 1924.
After finishing his studies, he worked as a research assistant at the Kaiser Wilhelm Institute for Biology. Later, he became a lecturer there. He also directed the German-Italian Institute of Marine Biology. From 1949 to 1970, he was the director of the Max Planck Institute for Marine Biology. He retired in 1970.
His Work with Acetabularia
Hämmerling started growing Acetabularia in his lab in the 1930s. This green algae is unique because it is made of only one cell. He found that the cell's nucleus is always located in the bottom part, called the rhizoid.
He began to study how the nucleus and the cytoplasm (the jelly-like substance filling the cell) work together. He did this by experimenting with different parts of the Acetabularia plant. In 1938, he received support for his research to study how the nucleus affects development.
The 1943 Discovery
Hämmerling made a big discovery in 1943 about the nucleus's role. He took the nucleus from one type of Acetabularia, called A. crenulata. Then, he put this nucleus into a cell from another type, A. mediterranea, after removing some parts of it.
What happened next was amazing! The A. mediterranea cell grew back its missing parts. But these new parts looked like the A. crenulata species, not the A. mediterranea it came from.
This experiment showed that the nucleus holds all the genetic information. It controls how an organism grows and develops. The experiment also proved that there are special substances, now known as mRNP, that carry messages from the nucleus to the rest of the cell.
Naming a New Species
Because of his important work with Acetabularia, a new species of the plant was named after him. This new species was found in the Pacific Ocean in the 1970s and was called A. haemmerlingii.
Later Life
In 1970, Joachim Hämmerling was chosen as a Foreign Member of the Royal Society of London. He passed away on August 5, 1980.
