LYNN MARGULIS: BIOGRAPHY AND CONTRIBUTIONS - SCIENCE - 2026

Lynn Margulis, whose maiden name was Lynn Petra Alexander, was a scientist born in the United States in 1938. Her field of expertise was evolutionary biology and her contributions in this field made her one of the most recognized researchers of the moment.

Among the most important works of Margulis stand out the theory of serial endosymbiosis and the theory of symbiogenetics. Her contributions were received at first with skepticism; received numerous rejections before being able to publish the results of her investigations, considered heterodox.

Margulis also adhered to the so-called Gaia hypothesis, previously worked out by atmospheric scientist, environmentalist, and chemist James Lovelock. Likewise, Margulis put a lot of interest in bringing science to the public, doing a great job of dissemination.

She was a university professor at many institutions and her achievements were recognized with awards such as the National Medal of Science, awarded by US President Bill Clinton in 1999; and for honorary doctorate appointments at universities around the world.

Biography

Lynn Margulis was born on March 5, 1938 in the American city of Chicago. Her first studies were carried out in a public school in the city.

Given the potential she showed, her parents decided to transfer her to the University of Chicago Laboratory School, a rather elite private center.

Being so young, Margulis began to show the personality that always characterized her and decided to return to her public educational center, since she was not comfortable in the private school environment.

University studies

The future scientist stood out very early for her academic results and her sharp intelligence. With only 16 years old, she entered the program for advanced students at the University of the city; four years later she graduated.

In his own words, in those years he obtained "a title, a husband (Carl Sagan) and a more enduring critical skepticism."

Margulis continued her training at the University of Wisconsin. There, at just 20 years old, she began to work on a Master's Degree in General Genetics and Population Genetics. At the same time, she was working as an assistant teacher.

His experience during those formative years, coupled with his interest in bacteria, were the basis for some of his most revolutionary theories.

Professional life

Two years later, in 1960, he finished his master of science degree by presenting a study on RNA in Amoeba proteus. His next step was to start preparing for his doctorate, this time at the University of California. His doctoral thesis, submitted in 1965, was titled An unusual incorporation pattern of thymidine in Euglena.

From that moment on, it was very common to find his name in prestigious scientific journals, despite the fact that, on many occasions, his works clashed with the hegemonic theories of the moment. For example, his research On the Origin of the Mitotic Cell was rejected fifteen times before being published in 1967.

Margulis divorced her first husband, the astronomer, cosmologist, and astrophysicist Carl Sagan, in 1965. Two years later, she remarried Thomas Margulis, a crystallographer from whom she took the surname.

His first completed book was released in 1970, published by Yale University. As with his articles, this publication was not easy either: the first publisher to which he had submitted it rejected the project after analyzing it for five months.

Other works

Lynn gained more and more prestige thanks to research such as that carried out on the contribution of microorganisms to evolution.

This recognition led her to travel around the world to participate in conferences and congresses. For example, in 1975 she participated in the International Botanical Congress held in the Soviet Union.

His endosymbiotic theory, one of the most important among those he presented, was forged in those years. In this theory he studied the evolutionary consequences of symbiosis.

However, Margulis' work covered many fields. As a sign of this diversity of interests, we can point to her studies on the possibilities of life on other planets, or the publication in 1984 of an article on the evolution of sexual reproduction.

Between 1984 and 1987 the biologist worked in Mexico, looking for evidence on how the biosphere and the different geological systems interact.

Last years and death

Margulis's career was awarded multiple accolades. She was invited to join the National Academy of Sciences of the United States, and also the Russian Academy of Sciences. Likewise, she received the United States National Medal of Sciences in 1999.

In addition, she served as a mentor at Boston University and received numerous honorary doctorates from universities around the world.

Margulis never stopped working. In fact, she passed away on November 22, 2011 while in her laboratory in Amherst, Massachusetts.

He was trying to find the one missing piece to complete his endosymbiotic theory when he suffered a stroke.

Contributions

Serial endosymbiosis theory

This is one of Margulis's most important contributions to science. According to his studies, eukaryotic cells (those of animals, plants or fungi) come from the incorporation of prokaryotic cells (bacteria).

According to Margulis, these prokaryotes become part of the mitochondria, chloroplasts and other organelles.

The researcher was unable to completely close her theory, since the hypothesis of the incorporation of spirochetes is not considered proven. It was precisely what she was trying to prove when she passed away.

Theory of symbiogenesis

It is the other great theory proposed by Margulis and it was quite controversial when faced with some of the approaches established by students of evolution.

The author stated that complex organisms that appear as the final steps of the evolutionary system are made up of communities of less complex beings that survive.

Specifically, his hypothesis pointed to bacteria as responsible for the ultimate complexity of organisms.

While traditionally multicellular organisms (animals, plants, etc.) were considered as individual beings, Margulis affirmed that they were communities of cells that were self-organizing, being the true engine of evolution.

This theory came into contradiction with the more established studies on evolutionary synthesis. Among the classic postulates that he criticized is gradualism, since for Margulis symbiogenetic processes were abrupt and occurred in relatively short periods of time.

Gaia hypothesis

Despite not being its creator Margulis, she did support and collaborate to extend the so-called Gaia hypothesis developed by Lovelock. In addition, she contributed her own vision pointing to bacteria as the main responsible for the chemical type transformations that occur in the biosphere.

This hypothesis indicates that it is life itself that has modified the conditions on Earth. Instead of following the classical approach that indicated that life had appeared because the planet had certain favorable characteristics, the followers of Gaia affirmed that living beings were responsible for the changes that make the Earth unique in the system. solar.

In this way, the hypothesis maintains that the environment and life are continuously interacting, forming a whole regardless of whether it is organic or inorganic matter.

References

1. Martin, Azucena. Lynn Margulis, the biologist who reinvented the theory of evolution. Obtained from omicrono.elespanol.com
2. Sampedro, Javier. Genomics proves Lynn Margulis right. Obtained from elpais.com
3. Rodriguez, Jesus. Lynn Margulis, symbiosis as a source of evolution. Obtained from habladeciencia.com

4. Tao, Amy. Lynn Margulis. Retrieved from britannica.com
5. The Telegraph. Lynn Margulis. Retrieved from telegraph.co.uk
6. The University of California Museum of Paleontology. Endosymbiosis: Lynn Margulis. Retrieved from evolution.berkeley.edu
7. Bhandari, Vaibhav. Women in STEM: Lynn Margulis. Retrieved from thevarsity.ca
8. Knoll, Andrew H. Lynn Margulis, 1938–2011. Recovered from pnas.org