Sewall [Green] WRIGHT (* 21 December 1889 in Melrose (Massachusetts); "† 3. March 1988) was an American Genetiker, who developed the population genetics, which led to the synthetic evolution theory together with Ronald Fisher and John Burdon Sanderson Haldane. It carried substantial for the theory of the genetic drift with (also well-known as "‚Sewall WRIGHT Effekt'). It developed in-breeding coefficient and described many of its applications. WRIGHT developed the Fitness landscapes and stressed the meaning of the reciprocal effect of genetic drift and of natural selection for the evolution. It transferred the natural selection to the animal and plant breeding. Its work in the area of the population genetics affected substantially Jay Lush, which supplied innovative work in quantitative genetics for the animal and Pfanzenzucht.

Life

Sewall Green WRIGHT was born on 21 December 1889 in Melrose (Massachusetts). Its parents Philip Green WRIGHT and Elizabeth Quincy Sewall WRIGHT pulled after Galesburg (Illinois), where its father accepted a position for teachers at the college. It had two brothers, Quincy and Theodore Paul. It acquired its B.S. at the Lombard college 1911, its M.S. on the University of Illinois 1912.

1915 it reached its doctor title at the Harvard university with a work by means of the skin colors with guinea pigs: To intensive Study OF the Inheritance OF Color and OF OTHER Coat Characteristics in Guinea Pigs. WRIGHT accomplished expanded breed attempts with guinea pigs and found to 1917 that the genes the production of enzymes steered. Sewall married 1921 Louise Williams, a teacher for genetics 1921. They had three children Elizabeth rose, Richard and Robert.

He spent its vocational career first at the United States department OF Agriculture (USDA) in Washington DC. 1915 - 1925, where it was its task the quality of the livestocks to improve.

1926 it changed as a professor to the university of Chicago and remained until it 1955 with 65 years was retired there.

WRIGHT invented the "adaptive landscapes", Fitness landscapes. One can understand oneself the different fitness (reproduction success) of different gene combinations as a hilly landscape. Valleys in this landscape mean smaller reproduction success of the gene combinations, hills represent more favorable gene combinations. The natural selection shifts the populations on the summits of the hills. But since the environment changes continuously, the summits and the populations shift follow them in a journey never ending.

WRIGHT introduced also shifting the balance theory: A large population divided into smaller groups has to investigate the best chances the environment and to find the highest Fitness summit in the Fitnesslandschaft. The genetic drift and founder effects are strengthened by the allocation into smaller groups and the investigation of neighbouring Fitnessgipfel is made possible. WRIGHT expressed its thoughts in difficult mathematical formulas, which led to misunderstandings. Over its shifting balance theory came it to embittered argument with Ronald Fisher. WRIGHT was shy and modest, but hard in academic questions.

WRIGHT changed there further 5 years from 1955 as a emeritierter professor to the University of Wisconsin, which had a retirement age of 70 years, and worked to 1960. Also after its second retirement it remained active. He wrote its work evolution and the Genetics OF population 1988. Many its Doktoranten supplied important contributions for the development of the mammal genetics.

Sewall WRIGHT died at the 3. March 1988 at the age of 98 years.

Honours

• Balzan Prize (1984)
• Medal OF the Royal Society OF London (1980)
• US national Medal OF Science (1966)
• Weldon Medal OF the Royal Society OF London (1947)
• D G Elliott and Kimber Awards from the national Academy OF Sciences (1947 and 1956)
• Lewis Prize from the American Philosophical Society
• the Darwin Medal OF the Royal Society Weldon Memorial
• Medal OF the University OF Oxford.
• 10 honour doctor titles

Works

• Sewall WRIGHT; System OF matings 1921
• Sewall WRIGHT; Coefficients OF inbreeding and relationship 1922
• Sewall WRIGHT; Evolution in Mendelian population 1931
• Sewall WRIGHT; The Roles OF mutation, Inbreeding, Crossbreeding and Selection in evolution 1932
• Sewall WRIGHT; Evolution and the Genetics OF population 1968 - 1978; four volumes
• William B. Provine: Sewall WRIGHT and Evolutionary Biology; Biography 1989 ISBN 0-226-68473-3

See also

• Jean Baptiste de Lamarck
• Charles Darwin
• Alfred Russel Wallace
• August pointing man
• Ronald Fisher
• John Burdon Sanderson Haldane

Architect of the synthetic evolution theory 1930 - 1950:

• Theodosius Dobzhansky
• Ernst Mayr
• George Gaylord Simpson
• Julian Huxley
• Bernhard Rensch
• G. Ledyard Stebbins

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