霍维茨出生于美国芝加哥,九年级在家里浴室里做过果蝇遗传的家庭作业。大学在麻省理工学院(MIT)学数学和经济。研究生申请时从数学经济到生物都申请了。他在哈佛大学做研究生是在华生、吉尔伯特(W. Gilbert)和维伯(K. Weber)联合指导的实验室,三人对他有不同教益:华生有极好的生物直觉、吉尔伯特会挑任何实验解释的毛病、维伯知道如何做出实验来。霍维茨单独发表4篇论文而毕业。霍维茨到英国加入布勒呐小组做博士后,开始和萨尔斯顿合作研究细胞谱系和用遗传学分析细胞谱系的机理。1977年,萨尔斯顿和霍维茨在《发育生物学》杂志报道线虫胚胎后发育的细胞谱系。1980年,霍维茨和萨尔斯顿在《遗传学》杂志报道用遗传突变的方法,发现一些控制细胞谱系的基因。1981年,萨尔斯顿和霍维茨在《发育生物学》杂志进一步分析影响细胞谱系的突变种。1983年,萨尔斯顿和其他合作者在《发育生物学》杂志报道线虫在胚胎发育期间的细胞谱系。至此,细胞谱系分析主要工作,特别是发育和形态工作,已经结束,而分子生物学工作将很快跟上。期间,布勒呐的其他助手也进行了一些重要工作,包括怀特(J. G. White)、赫吉科克(E. M. Hedgecock)和乔非(M. Chalfie)等,所有这些论文,布勒呐都没有做作者。
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