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Barbara McClintock (June 16, 1902 – September 2, 1992) was an American scientist and one of the world’s most distinguished cytogeneticists. She produced the first genetic map for maize, linking regions of the chromosome with physical traits, and demonstrated the role of the telomere and centromere, regions of the chromosome that are important in the conservation of genetic information. During the 1940s and 1950s, McClintock discovered transposition and used it to show how genes are responsible for turning physical characteristics on or off. Encountering skepticism of her research and its implications, she stopped publishing her data in 1953. She was awarded the Nobel Prize for Physiology or Medicine in 1983 for the discovery of genetic transposition; she is the only woman to receive an unshared Nobel Prize in that category.

(Source: Wikipedia)