Stevens was a pioneering cytogeneticist who studied the chromosomes of the mealworm beetle. Her meticulous work revealed that female beetles had two identical chromosomes (XX) while males had one larger and one smaller chromosome (XY). This observation was crucial in understanding the mechanism of sex determination in many organisms.
It's important to note that other scientists like Edmund Beecher Wilson were also studying sex chromosomes around the same time, and their work contributed to our understanding of this complex field. However, Stevens' discovery of the size difference between X and Y chromosomes was a landmark finding that helped solidify our understanding of sex determination.
