Dobzhansky, Theodosius << dob ZHAHN skee, tay oh DOHZ yuhs >> (1900-1975), a Russian-born American biologist, advanced the study of evolution. His writings helped develop the synthetic theory of evolution. This theory synthesizes (combines) evolution theory with the principles of genetics and other sciences.
In his most influential work, Genetics and the Origin of Species (1937), Dobzhansky argues that evolution should be studied in terms of how proportions of genes change gradually in natural populations. Genes are the materials in cells that transmit characteristics from one generation to the next. Dobzhansky argued that the proportion of genes in a population would change from generation to generation if the genes were subject to the evolutionary processes of genetic drift, migration, mutation, or natural selection.
Theodosius Grigorievich Dobzhansky was born on Jan. 25, 1900, in Nemirov (now Nemyriv, Ukraine, near the city of Lviv) in what was then part of the Russian Empire. In 1921, he graduated from the University of Kiev (now Taras Shevchenko National University of Kyiv). He moved to the United States in 1927 and became a U.S. citizen in 1936. Dobzhansky taught at the California Institute of Technology and Columbia University. He wrote several popular books about evolutionary biology and its impact on society. They include Heredity, Race, and Society (1946) and Mankind Evolving (1962). Dobzhansky died on Dec. 18, 1975.
