Many of his papers in this area were concerned with genetic recombination, with the rearrangement of genes on paired chromosomes that occurs during reproduction, a phenomenon known as crossing over. Perkins developed techniques for mapping genes and centromeres on chromosomes based on the occasional errors, such as duplications and translocations, that occur in recombination.
Several of his papers in this field focused on genetic recombination, specifically the shuffling of genes on paired chromosomes that takes place during reproduction, known as crossing over. Perkins developed methods for charting genes and centromeres on chromosomes based on the occasional mistakes, such as duplications and translocations, that occur during recombination.