Alan Turing Developed the Biological Field of Morphogenesis

Alan Turing is remembered in history as a codebreaker from World War II and as the inventor of the Turing Test, a technique for determining a machine's level of intelligence. Although he possessed a wide range of skills, his name is most often associated with these fields—in particular, mathematics and computer science. The man did, however, have other passions, one of which was daisies.

His fascination with morphogenesis, the biological process that allows things to form in particular shapes and patterns, was sparked by his love of flowers. In Turning's instance, he was mesmerized by the development of daisies. He observed recurring patterns in nature, such as the stripes on tigers and the spots on leopards, and developed a theory to explain them based on the concept of chemical interactions. This opened the door for the development of an altogether new mathematical biology system years before DNA was fully known.

Born: 23 June 1912Maida Vale, London, England
Died: 7 June 1954 (aged 41)Wilmslow, Cheshire, England