Blog 10

When reading The Feeling for the Organism, a few things stood out to me.  Barbara McClintock was an avid reader of the Comptes Rendus journal, and she read Monod and Jacob’s paper in the late nineteen sixties.  McClintock had been trying to get others interested in her theories regarding genetics and “controlling elements.”  She contacted Jacob and Monod, and sent them her own paper.  I believe this shows one of the traits that scientists must have in order to be successful.

Other famous and successful scientists, like Charles Darwin, are able to work with their peers well and communicate their findings in a way that is easy to understand.  McClintock showed her ability to work with other scientists when she contacted Jacob and Monod.  Even though many scientists prefer to work in isolation, like Barbara McClintock reportedly did, in order to be a great scientist, one must be able to work effectively with others.  The collaboration between scientists often contributes to their success.

This type of collaboration helped famous scientists like Darwin.  Alfred Wallace’s findings help push Darwin to publish his book on natural selection and helped with the public acceptance of the idea.  I am sure that the collaboration with Jacobs and Monod helped McClintock develop her findings and her ability to communicate them to others.