Jonathan Hodgkin facts for kids

Jonathan Alan Hodgkin, born in 1949, is a British scientist. He is a biochemist, which means he studies the chemistry of living things. He is also a Professor of Genetics at the University of Oxford. This means he teaches and researches how living things inherit traits from their parents. He is also an emeritus fellow at Keble College, Oxford.

His Education

Jonathan Hodgkin studied at the University of Oxford. He graduated from there in 1971. Later, he earned his PhD degree from the University of Cambridge in 1974. His research for this degree was about the genetics of a tiny worm called Caenorhabditis elegans.

His Scientific Work

Dr. Hodgkin worked as a scientist at the Medical Research Council (MRC) Laboratory of Molecular Biology in Cambridge. He was one of the first researchers to study how genes control the development of the Caenorhabditis elegans worm.

He first figured out how genes and growth stages decide if a worm becomes male or a hermaphrodite. A hermaphrodite is an animal that has both male and female reproductive organs. After this, he became interested in other ways the worm develops, how it behaves, and how its body fights off sickness.

Worm Reproduction and Genetics

Most Caenorhabditis elegans worms are self-fertilizing hermaphrodites. This means they can reproduce by themselves. They have two X chromosomes. However, some males can appear naturally. These males have only one X chromosome. This allows scientists to do genetic crosses and study how traits are passed on.

Dr. Hodgkin used changes in the genes, called mutations, in these tiny worms. The worms breed very quickly, which is helpful for research. He used them to find the chain of genes that controls whether a worm develops male or hermaphrodite features. This work helped create a model for understanding development in other living things too.

Studying Worm Immunity

Since the year 2000, Dr. Hodgkin has focused on how these worms fight off attacks from bacteria. He explores how their bodies naturally protect themselves. These ways of fighting sickness are also important for how living things develop.

Using special tests, he found things the worm produces that fight bacteria. These could be used to find new antibiotics to help people. He also discovered new pathogenic bacteria that attack worms. These bacteria might be useful for biological pest control against harmful worms that attack plants or animals.

Awards and Recognitions

Dr. Hodgkin was chosen as a Fellow of the Royal Society (FRS) in 1990. This is a very high honor for scientists in the United Kingdom. In 2011, he received The Genetics Society Medal. He was also a member of the Faculty of 1000, a group that highlights important scientific research. In 2017, he was given the Edward Novitski Prize by the Genetics Society of America.

About His Family

Jonathan Hodgkin is the son of Alan Lloyd Hodgkin. His father was a Nobel Prize winner. His mother is Marni Hodgkin, who was an editor.