RF Annual Report - 1935 - The Rockefeller Foundation

THE NATURAL SCIENCES
of the structure of chromosomes. There are two
objectives: the first is to interpret in terms of
concepts belonging to mathematics and the
physical sciences the findings of the cytologists
regarding the behavior of chromosomes, notably
in their power to swell, contract, grow, and
divide. The second is to relate the postulates of
genetics to the molecular structure of the chromosomes,
which should make possible a formulation
in mathematical terms of types of genetic
change and prepare the way for a description in
terms of chemistry and crystal physics of the
gene itself.
Researches are also in progress on the banded
structure of chromosomes in the salivary glands
of certain insects, as well as on the structure of
other entities in the cell. These researches should
find their natural sequel in the consideration of
the physicochemical situation which regulates
the laying down of tissues of different types, both
in the embryo and in the adult organism. They
will require the synthesis of many results coming
from mathematics, physics, and chemistry, as
well as data from selected parts of biology. The
program worked out at the University of Oxford
has the approval of such English workers
in biology as J. B. S. Haldane, A. V. Hill,
Lancelot Hogben, Joseph Needham, and J. H.
Woodger.
© 2003 The Rockefeller Foundation