Edward E. Lewis

Edward E. Lewis was an influential American developmental biologist known for his work on how animals and humans develop their shapes and structures. He discovered that during early development, certain body segments are formed through a process where specific regions of the embryo are cut and everything beyond those regions is removed or restructured. His research revealed that genes controlling these segments are organized in a precise, order-specific way, which determines how different body parts grow. Lewis's insights helped us understand the genetic basis of development and evolution, impacting fields like genetics, medicine, and evolutionary biology.