Sewall Wright | |
|---|---|
 Wright in 1954 | |
| Born | December 21, 1889 Melrose, Massachusetts, U.S. |
| Died | March 3, 1988 (aged 98) Madison, Wisconsin, U.S. |
| Alma mater | Lombard College University of Illinois Harvard University (Sc.D., 1915)[3] |
| Known for | Coefficient of determination Population genetics Causal graph F-statistics Fixation index Fitness landscape Genetic rescue Genetic drift Inbreeding coefficient Path analysis Shifting balance theory Threshold model |
| Awards | Daniel Giraud Elliot Medal (1945) Weldon Memorial Prize (1947) National Medal of Science (1966) Darwin Medal (1980) Thomas Hunt Morgan Medal (1982) Balzan Prize (1984) Foreign Member of the Royal Society (1963)[1] |
| Scientific career | |
| Fields | Genetics |
| Institutions | University of Chicago[2] (1926–1954) University of Wisconsin[2] (1955–1960) |
| Doctoral advisor | William Ernest Castle |
| Other academic advisors | Wilhelmine Key |
Sewall Green Wright FRS (For) Honorary FRSE (December 21, 1889 – March 3, 1988) was an American geneticist known for his influential work on evolutionary theory and also for his work on path analysis. He was a founder of population genetics alongside Ronald Fisher and J. B. S. Haldane, which was a major step in the development of the modern synthesis combining genetics with evolution. He discovered the inbreeding coefficient and methods of computing it in pedigree animals. He extended this work to populations,[4] computing the amount of inbreeding between members of populations as a result of random genetic drift, and along with Fisher he pioneered methods for computing the distribution of gene frequencies among populations as a result of the interaction of natural selection, mutation, migration and genetic drift. Wright also made major contributions to mammalian and biochemical genetics.[5][6][7]
- ^ Hill, W. G. (1990). "Sewall Wright. 21 December 1889-3 March 1988". Biographical Memoirs of Fellows of the Royal Society. 36: 568–579. doi:10.1098/rsbm.1990.0044. PMID 11616179.
- ^ a b Fowler, Glenn (March 4, 1988). "Sewall Wright, 98, Who Formed Mathematical Basis for Evolution". The New York Times. Retrieved May 18, 2021.
- ^ "Sewall Wright - American geneticist". britannica.com. Retrieved March 21, 2018.
- ^ Russell, Elizabeth S. (December 1989). "Sewall Wright's contributions to physiological genetics and to inbreeding theory and practice". Annual Review of Genetics. 23 (1): 1–20. doi:10.1146/annurev.ge.23.120189.000245. ISSN 0066-4197. PMID 2694927. Retrieved March 1, 2023.
- ^ Crow, J. F. (1988). "Sewall Wright (1889-1988) — Obituary". Nature. 332 (6164): 492. Bibcode:1988Natur.332..492S. doi:10.1038/332492a0. PMID 3282168.
- ^ Crow, J. F.; Dove, W. F. (1987). "Sewall Wright and physiological genetics". Genetics. 115 (1): 1–2. doi:10.1093/genetics/115.1.1. PMC 1203043. PMID 3549442.
- ^ Hill, W. G. (1996). "Sewall Wright's 'Systems of Mating'". Genetics. 143 (4): 1499–1506. doi:10.1093/genetics/143.4.1499. PMC 1207415. PMID 8844140.