Albert Levan
Encyclopedia
Albert Levan was a Swedish
botanist and geneticist
.
Albert Levan is best known today for co-authoring the report in 1956 that humans had forty-six chromosome
s (instead of forty-eight, as previously believed). This epochal discovery was made by Joe Hin Tjio
in Levan's laboratory.
Originally specialising in plant cytology
, Levan later turned to the similarities in the chromosone structure of cancer cells and errors introduced to plant cells via chemical or radioactive elements. These studies later led to examination of chromosomes in animal cells.
Levan was elected a member of the Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences
in 1967.
Sweden
Sweden , officially the Kingdom of Sweden , is a Nordic country on the Scandinavian Peninsula in Northern Europe. Sweden borders with Norway and Finland and is connected to Denmark by a bridge-tunnel across the Öresund....
botanist and geneticist
Geneticist
A geneticist is a biologist who studies genetics, the science of genes, heredity, and variation of organisms. A geneticist can be employed as a researcher or lecturer. Some geneticists perform experiments and analyze data to interpret the inheritance of skills. A geneticist is also a Consultant or...
.
Albert Levan is best known today for co-authoring the report in 1956 that humans had forty-six chromosome
Chromosome
A chromosome is an organized structure of DNA and protein found in cells. It is a single piece of coiled DNA containing many genes, regulatory elements and other nucleotide sequences. Chromosomes also contain DNA-bound proteins, which serve to package the DNA and control its functions.Chromosomes...
s (instead of forty-eight, as previously believed). This epochal discovery was made by Joe Hin Tjio
Joe Hin Tjio
Joe Hin Tjio , was a cytogeneticist renowned as the first person to recognize the normal number of human chromosomes. This epochal event occurred on December 22, 1955 at the Institute of Genetics of the University of Lund in Sweden, where Tjio was a visiting scientist.-Early life:Tjio was born to...
in Levan's laboratory.
Originally specialising in plant cytology
Cell biology
Cell biology is a scientific discipline that studies cells – their physiological properties, their structure, the organelles they contain, interactions with their environment, their life cycle, division and death. This is done both on a microscopic and molecular level...
, Levan later turned to the similarities in the chromosone structure of cancer cells and errors introduced to plant cells via chemical or radioactive elements. These studies later led to examination of chromosomes in animal cells.
Levan was elected a member of the Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences
Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences
The Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences or Kungliga Vetenskapsakademien is one of the Royal Academies of Sweden. The Academy is an independent, non-governmental scientific organization which acts to promote the sciences, primarily the natural sciences and mathematics.The Academy was founded on 2...
in 1967.