Malcolm Ferguson-Smith facts for kids

Malcolm Andrew Ferguson-Smith is a famous British geneticist. He was born on September 5, 1931. A geneticist is a scientist who studies genetics, which is the science of genes, heredity, and how living things inherit traits from their parents.

Early Life and Education

Malcolm Ferguson-Smith was born in Glasgow, Scotland, in 1931. His father, John Ferguson-Smith, was a doctor. Malcolm went to a school called Stowe School.

He then studied at the University of Glasgow. In 1955, he earned his medical degree, which is called a Bachelor of Medicine, Bachelor of Surgery (MB ChB). This degree allowed him to become a doctor.

What Did He Do in His Career?

After finishing medical school, Malcolm Ferguson-Smith worked as a doctor. From 1955 to 1958, he worked at the Western Infirmary in Glasgow. He gained experience in different areas of medicine.

Working at Johns Hopkins University

In 1959, Malcolm Ferguson-Smith moved to the United States. He became a Fellow in Medicine at Johns Hopkins University in Baltimore. There, he spent almost three years studying chromosomes. Chromosomes are tiny structures inside our cells that carry our genes.

He helped set up the very first lab in the USA to diagnose human chromosome problems. This was a big step forward in understanding human health.

Returning to Glasgow University

In 1961, he came back to the University of Glasgow. He joined the Department of Genetics. He worked his way up from a lecturer to a professor. In 1973, he became the first Burton Professor of Medical Genetics.

His job involved teaching genetics to medical students. He also helped create a special service for genetics in Western Scotland. This service helped map the human gene map. He used different methods to do this.

One of his most important discoveries was mapping the Y-linked sex determinant in XX males. This work helped scientists find the gene that determines sex in mammals 25 years later.

Researching Gene Mapping at Cambridge

In 1987, Professor Ferguson-Smith moved to the University of Cambridge. He became a professor and head of the Department of Pathology. He also directed the East Anglia Regional Genetics Service. Here, he continued his important research on gene mapping.

He retired as Head of Pathology in 1998. After that, he moved to the University Department of Veterinary Medicine.

Creating a Resource Centre

In 2002, he started the Cambridge Resource Centre for Comparative Genomics. This center collected and shared special DNA from over 120 different kinds of animals, birds, and fish. Scientists all over the world used this DNA for their research.

This data helped scientists compare different species. It showed how species are related and how genes have changed over time.

Awards and Special Recognition

Malcolm Ferguson-Smith has received many honors for his work.

In 1978, he was chosen as a Fellow of the Royal Society of Edinburgh (FRSE). In 1983, he became a Fellow of the Royal Society (FRS). These are very high honors for scientists in the United Kingdom.

In 1998, he was asked to join a special committee. This committee looked into the causes of Bovine Spongiform Encephalopathy (BSE), also known as "mad cow disease." They also studied a related human illness called new variant Creutzfeldt–Jakob disease (CJD). The committee reported their findings in 2000.

Family Life

Malcolm Ferguson-Smith is the father of Anne Ferguson-Smith. She is also a very successful geneticist. She is a professor of genetics at Cambridge.