born Dec. 19, 1903, Chorley, Lancashire, Eng.
died March 26, 1981
British biologist.
A professor at the University of Oxford from 1953, he believed that chromosomes were the cellular components that passed hereditary information from generation to generation. He explained the behaviour of chromosomes during meiosis, formulating a theory of evolution in which the exchange of parts of chromosomes (crossing-over) was the central variable in determining the inherited characteristics of the next generation. His Evolution of Man and Society (1969) raised controversy by insisting that the intelligence of races was determined by inheritance.