Genetics Pioneer Dies

James Crow, who helped shaped public policy over his 70 year career, passed away last week.

Written byMegan Scudellari
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UNIVERSITY OF WISCONSIN-MADISON

James Crow, an influential population geneticist at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, died of congestive heart failure last Wednesday at the age of 95, the New York Times reported. A leader in the field for more than 50 years, Crow helped shape public policy on major genetics issues such as atomic radiation damage and the use of DNA in the courtroom. He was active in the scientific community right up until his death, working on a new paper in his campus office just two weeks ago, the university reported.

“He was the real organizer of population genetics in the United States,” Will Provine, a historian of biology at Cornell University, told the Times. Crow’s 1970 landmark textbook, "An Introduction to Population Genetics Theory," co-authored with Motoo ...

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