Hen-feathered male Sebright bantam

Made:
1914-1924 in United States
maker:
Thomas Hunt Morgan
Group shot from left to right: 1996-136 Pt2 - Cock-feathered

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Group shot from left to right: 1996-136 Pt2 - Cock-feathered
Science Museum Group Collection
© The Board of Trustees of the Science Museum

Hen-feathered male Sebright bantam, bred by Thomas Hunt Morgan, United States, 1914-1924

Thomas Hunt Morgan (1866-1945) bred this pair of male Sebright Bantams (a type of chicken) in order to investigate the genetic inheritance of plumage. One male has the plumage and feathering normally associated with hens; the other has the plumage associated with cocks. Morgan found that the dominant gene for plumage is hen-feathering. Morgan won the Nobel Prize for Medicine in 1933 for discovering the role played by chromosomes in heredity.

Details

Category:
Biotechnology
Object Number:
1996-136 Pt1
Materials:
animal remains, pine (wood), steel (metal) and felt
Measurements:
overall: 370 mm x 270 mm x 150 mm, 0.5 kg
type:
bantam
credit:
Owen, Ross