Thomas Hunt Morgan was an American geneticist born in 1866. He is best known for his pioneering work in the field of genetics, particularly his studies on the fruit fly, Drosophila melanogaster. Morgan's experiments provided crucial evidence for the chromosomal theory of inheritance, demonstrating how traits are passed from one generation to the next. In 1933, Morgan was awarded the Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine for his discoveries related to the role of chromosomes in heredity. His research laid the foundation for modern genetics and influenced many future scientists, including James Watson and Francis Crick, who later discovered the structure of DNA.