Øjvind Winge facts for kids

Øjvind Winge was a Danish biologist who lived from 1886 to 1964. He was a very important scientist who helped start the study of yeast genetics. Many people call him "The Father of Yeast Genetics" because of his groundbreaking work.

Winge's Early Life and Studies

Øjvind Winge was born in Aarhus, a city in Denmark. After finishing high school, he went to the University of Copenhagen. He first started studying law, but soon realized he loved biological sciences more. So, he switched his studies to biology.

He earned his master's degree in 1910. After that, he traveled to cities like Stockholm, Paris, and Chicago. He spent his time studying chromosomes and cytology, which is the study of cells.

Finally, he returned to the University of Copenhagen. There, he completed his doctoral thesis. It was titled The Chromosomes: Their Numbers and General Importance. In 1910, Winge became a professor of genetics at the Royal Veterinary and Agricultural University in Copenhagen. He also wrote an important book called The Textbook in Genetics, which was published in 1928.

Research at Carlsberg Laboratory

In 1933, Winge became the Director of the Physiology Department at the Carlsberg Laboratory in Copenhagen. This lab was famous for its research. Here, he focused his studies on three main things: hops, barley, and yeast.

His research became more and more focused on yeast. He developed special ways to work with single yeast cells and spores. This allowed him to study their genetics very closely.

Understanding Yeast Genetics

Winge made some big discoveries about yeast. He found that yeast spores are haploid. This means they have only one set of chromosomes. He also learned that diploid yeast cells, which have two sets of chromosomes, are formed in two ways. They can form when two haploid cells join together, or when a single haploid cell doubles its own chromosomes.

This was a huge discovery! It showed that yeast has a special life cycle. It also meant that scientists could change yeast genetically by carefully mating different strains. Winge also showed that many traits in yeast followed simple Mendel's rules of heredity. He continued his research, and his lab published many important genetics papers until 1961.

Winge's work was very important for the start of genetic engineering and biotechnology. He helped create a strong foundation for these fields, which are now very important in science and industry.

Winge's Hypothesis on Plant Hybridization

In his 1917 doctoral thesis, Winge also presented an idea about how plants can form new species. This idea is called his hypothesis of plant hybridization. It has led to a lot of research in plant science.

He observed that some plant species had chromosome numbers that were multiples of each other. For example, in some plant families, one species might have 18 chromosomes, while another has 36, and another 54. This pattern suggested something interesting.

Winge proposed that new plant species could form when two different plants hybridized (bred together). Then, their chromosomes would double. This doubling would create a new plant with more chromosomes. Scientists later successfully created new plants this way, which helped prove Winge's idea.

Awards and Recognition

Winge's important contributions to science were recognized by many. In 1947, he was chosen as a foreign member of the Royal Society. This is a very high honor for scientists.