Richard Ebright conducted an experiment on a flock of butterflies and raised the eggs of female monarchs. In addition to this, he also studied the cause of a viral disease that killed all monarch caterpillars. He also tried to find out similarities between viceroy butterflies and monarchs. The study of insect hormones helped him in giving a new theory on the life of cells. Eventually, he was able to find the hormone behind the full development of butterfly wings. All these experiments led him to conclude that cells grew from a monarch’s wings. He found that cells would divide and grow into a normal butterfly if they were fed a hormone that was found in the gold spots of the monarch. Hence, he proved a new theory that formed the blueprint of DNA. DNA is the substance in the nucleus of a cell that controls heredity. It determines the form and function of the cell. This DNA is the blueprint for life. The experiments conducted by Ebright amply showed him how to be a successful scientist.
