Boris Balinsky, Date of Birth, Place of Birth, Date of Death

Boris Balinsky

Ukrainian/South African biologist

Date of Birth: 10-Sep-1905

Place of Birth: Kiev, Ukraine

Date of Death: 01-Sep-1997

Profession: zoologist, biologist, university teacher, entomologist

Nationality: South Africa

Zodiac Sign: Virgo

Boris Ivan Balinsky (23 September 1905 Kyiv, Russian Empire – 1 September 1997, Johannesburg, South Africa) was a Ukrainian and South African biologist, embryologist, entomologist, professor of Kiev University and University of the Witwatersrand.
Pioneer researcher in the field of experimental embryology, electron microscopy and developmental biology.
He was author of popular textbook in embryology An Introduction to Embryology.Born Ukrainian, a student of Ivan Schmalhausen, he was one of the first to experimentally induce organogenesis in amphibian embryos.
Balinsky was a full university professor and the deputy director of the Institute of Biology in Kyiv at 28 years of age.
He became a recognized expert in fish and amphibian development.
Being victim of Soviet repressions, he remained under German occupation during World War II and fled to Posnan, Poland and later Munich, Germany.
Balinsky briefly worked in Scotland in Conrad Hal Waddington's laboratory on mice embryology.
Finally, he went to South Africa to become one of the founders of South African experimental bioscience. Balinsky also worked in entomology and described new species of Plecoptera, Odonata and moths from the family Pyralidae, mainly from Caucasus and South Africa. He had a son John B.
Balinsky who is also a scientist.