Douglas Scott Falconer
Encyclopedia
Douglas Scott Falconer FRS FRSE
(March 10, 1913, Oldmeldrum
, Aberdeenshire
– February 23, 2004, Edinburgh
) was a British geneticist known for his work in quantitative genetics
. Falconer's book Introduction to quantitative genetics was written in 1960 and became a valuable reference for generations of scientists. Its latest edition dates back to 1996 and is coauthored by Trudy F.C. Mackay.
In 1951, Falconer described a novel mouse mutant that he called reeler
for its peculiar gait. Later research using these mice has led to the discovery of reelin
, a protein playing important roles in corticogenesis, neuronal migration, and plasticity.
Royal Society of Edinburgh
The Royal Society of Edinburgh is Scotland's national academy of science and letters. It is a registered charity, operating on a wholly independent and non-party-political basis and providing public benefit throughout Scotland...
(March 10, 1913, Oldmeldrum
Oldmeldrum
Oldmeldrum is a village and parish in the Formartine area of Aberdeenshire, not far from Inverurie in North East Scotland. With a growing population of over 2000, Oldmeldrum falls within Scotland's top 300 centres of population. The A947 road from Aberdeen to Banff runs through the centre of the...
, Aberdeenshire
Aberdeenshire
Aberdeenshire is one of the 32 unitary council areas in Scotland and a lieutenancy area.The present day Aberdeenshire council area does not include the City of Aberdeen, now a separate council area, from which its name derives. Together, the modern council area and the city formed historic...
– February 23, 2004, Edinburgh
Edinburgh
Edinburgh is the capital city of Scotland, the second largest city in Scotland, and the eighth most populous in the United Kingdom. The City of Edinburgh Council governs one of Scotland's 32 local government council areas. The council area includes urban Edinburgh and a rural area...
) was a British geneticist known for his work in quantitative genetics
Quantitative genetics
Quantitative genetics is the study of continuous traits and their underlying mechanisms. It is effectively an extension of simple Mendelian inheritance in that the combined effects of one or more genes and the environments in which they are expressed give rise to continuous distributions of...
. Falconer's book Introduction to quantitative genetics was written in 1960 and became a valuable reference for generations of scientists. Its latest edition dates back to 1996 and is coauthored by Trudy F.C. Mackay.
In 1951, Falconer described a novel mouse mutant that he called reeler
Reeler
A reeler is a mouse mutant, so named because of its characteristic "reeling" gait. This is caused by profound hypoplasia of the mouse's cerebellum, in which the normal cerebellar folia are missing. The mutation is autosomal and recessive....
for its peculiar gait. Later research using these mice has led to the discovery of reelin
Reelin
Reelin is a large secreted extracellular matrix protein that helps regulate processes of neuronal migration and positioning in the developing brain by controlling cell–cell interactions. Besides this important role in early development, reelin continues to work in the adult brain. It modulates the...
, a protein playing important roles in corticogenesis, neuronal migration, and plasticity.