SS Connection

My Science PBL is about Mitosis. For my SS connection component, I will be explaining the history of Mitosis. I will explain the history, phases, and the people behind Mitosis. On this page, I will post my SS connection showing how Mitosis was found, and how it influenced Science.

Jerosh Jacob

PBL Task 14

The Discovery of Mitosis

Mitosis is a process where one cell divides resulting in two identical cells, each containing the same number of chromosomes and genetic content. Walther Flemming coined the term mitosis in the 1800s deriving from the Greek word for thread. Walther Flemming was responsible for the discovery of mitosis, which refers to cell division. This is the process by which cells multiply and reproduce. Through the process of mitosis, the genetic material in the parent cell is divided and copied into two daughter cells. Mitosis was discovered in frog, rabbit, and cat cornea cells in 1873 and was described for the first time.

Walther Flemming was born on April 21, 1843 in Sachsenberg, Germany. Flemming's father, Carl Friedrich Flemming, was a psychiatrist. Flemming studied medicine at the University of Rostock in Germany, and later graduated in 1868. After finishing his studies, Flemming served in the military as a physician and later taught at the University of Prague. In 1876, he took a position as a professor at the University of Kiev and taught anatomy. Flemming was named the director of the Anatomical Institute, and he worked there until he died on August 4, 1905. He was a pioneer of cytogenetics and he was the first person to conduct a systematic study of chromosomes during division and called this process mitosis.

After staining the cells of salamander embryos with a red anline dye, Flemming noticed red thread like material being distributed and doubled during cell division. He named these chromosomes and termed the process of cell division as mitosis. He discovered that chromatin was connected to chromosomes. Flemming also studied the process of cell division. He noted that there were a number of stages of mitosis. Flemming used the gills and fins of salamanders as material to study.

Walther Flemming’s discoveries on the stages of mitosis were published in a book named, "Cell Substance, Nucleus and Cell Division" in 1882. Flemming concluded that each cell's nuclei comes from another cell nucleus. After Flemming's death, many people realized how important his discovery was. Now, the discovery of mitosis is considered one of the 100 most significant scientific developments of all time. It is also included on the list of the 10 most important discoveries in the field of cell biology.

Sources:

  • "Mitosis." Wikipedia. Wikimedia Foundation, 31 Oct. 2013. Web. 08 Nov. 2013.·

  • "Walther Flemming." Wikipedia. Wikimedia Foundation, 11 Mar. 2013. Web. 08 Nov. 2013.

  • "Walther Flemming (1843-1905) :: DNA Learning Center." DNALC Blogs. N.p., n.d. Web. 08 Nov. 2013.

  • "Mitosis - Google Search." Mitosis - Google Search. N.p., n.d. Web. 08 Nov. 2013.