Barbara McClintock is the only woman to be awarded an unshared Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine.
McClintock discovered 'jumping genes' in corn, and proved that chunks of genetic code can change position on a chromosome, affecting genetic expression.
Born in Hartford Connecticut, McClintock's family had little money, so her interest in research was viewed with skepticism. It was more important for her to marry, her family thought. Despite this, with her father's support, Barbara began studying at Cornell's College of Agriculture in 1919, and her studies are where her interest remained. She was shy and anything but a careerist, but at the same time, she also realized the importance of what she had achieved, not least of all in her role as an example for other women.
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