Ronald J. Konopka coauthored the 1971 identification of circadian rhythm mutants in Drosophila melanogaster with Seymour Benzer. Their screen produced arrhythmic, short-period and long-period flies. The combination showed that a mutation can alter the period of an internal timing mechanism, rather than only disabling movement altogether.[ref]
Clock Mutants of Drosophila melanogaster by Ronald J. Konopka and Seymour Benzer. Abstract: arrhythmic, 19-hour and 28-hour phenotypes
Automatic collection measured when adults emerged, and infrared detectors measured individual locomotion. Tests in constant darkness separated free-running timing from direct light-driven activity. Mapping and complementation indicated that the three mutations affected the same functional gene on the X chromosome, providing an entry point for the genetics of biological clocks.[ref]
Clock Mutants of Drosophila melanogaster by Ronald J. Konopka and Seymour Benzer. Printed pp. 2112–2115, apparatus and genetic analysis
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