born Oct. 12, 1862, Bamberg, Bavaria
died Oct. 15, 1915, Würzburg
German cell biologist.
Working with roundworm eggs, Boveri proved that chromosomes are separate units within the nucleus of a cell. With Walter S. Sutton , he was the first to propose that genes were located on chromosomes. Boveri proved Edouard von Beneden's theory that the ovum (egg) and sperm cell contribute equal numbers of chromosomes to the new cell created during fertilization. He later introduced the term centrosome and demonstrated that this structure is the division centre for a dividing egg cell.