Karl Ritter von Frisch (November 20, 1886 – June 12, 1982) was an Austrian ethologist who received the Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine in 1973, along with Nikolaas Tinbergen and Konrad Lorenz.
He studied zoology with Richard von Hertwig whom he later succeeded as a professor of zoology at Munich, Germany. He studied the senses of bees, identified their mechanisms of communication and showed their sensitivity to ultraviolet and polarized light. In the center of his work were the study of the sensory perceptions of the honey bee and was one of the first who translated the meaning of the waggle dance. The theory was disputed by other scientists and greeted with skepticism at the time. Only recently was it definitively proved to be an accurate theoretical analysis (see Nature magazine reference).
In 1962 he was awarded the Balzan Prize for Biology "For having consecrated his entire life to experimenting on thousands of bees, thus discovering a true language of gestures for communication and opening new insights into the knowledge of insect behaviour" (motivation of the Balzan General Prize Committee).
In 1973 he was awarded Nobel Prize in physiology and medicine for his achievements in comparative behavioral physiology and pioneering work in communication between insects.
Frisch's honey bee work included the study of the pheromones that are emitted by the Queen bee and her daughters, which maintain the hive's very complex social order. Outside the hive, the pheromones cause the male bees, or drones, to become attracted to a queen and mate with it. Inside the hive, the drones are not affected by the odor.
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Regarding personal names: Ritter is a title, translated approximately as Knight, not a first or middle name. There is no equivalent female form.
| Persondata |
| NAME | Frisch, Karl von |
| ALTERNATIVE NAMES | |
| SHORT DESCRIPTION | Ethologist |
| DATE OF BIRTH | 1886-11-20 |
| PLACE OF BIRTH | Vienna, Austria |
| DATE OF DEATH | 1982-06-12 |
| PLACE OF DEATH | |
