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First vaccine
Edward Jenner was the creator of the smallpox vaccine. It was derived from a weeakened version of cowpox. -
First public vaccination campaign
The Spanish government supported a ten year effort to help distribute the smallpox vaccine. Doctor Fancisco Xavier de Balmis led an expedition and took vaccines everywhere from Asia to the Americas. -
Food sterilization
Nicolas Appert, a French cook, and experimented with way to preserve food. He put them in glass, sealed them with a cork and sealing wax, and placed them in boiling water. -
Discovery of Proteins
Discovered Antoine Fourcroy, a French chemist. Proteins were recognized as a distinct class of biological molecules. -
Discovery of enzymes
Louis Pasteur first recognized enzymes in their functions as a fermenting tool inside yeast cells. The process and body were named "enzymes" by Wilhelm Kühne, which means "to leaven". -
Disocvery of genetic inheritance patterns
Gregor Mendel discovered genetic inheritance patterns after experimenting with rats, flowers, and pea pods "for the fun of it." His discoveries helped lead to the model of the Punnett Square. -
1st biotech drug (Insulin)
Insulin was discovered by Paul Langerhands from Germany through his analysis of the pancreas. He named the clumps of cells that produced secretions to aide the digestive system after the Latin word "insula", or for island. -
First cloned organism
Hans Dreisch created the first successful cloned organism; a sea urchin. It was chosen because of their large embryo size and their independent growth from a parent. -
1st antibiotic
The first antibiotic created was Penicillin. It was discovered by Alexander Fleming at St. Mary's Hospital in London. -
Avery's/MacLeod's experiment
Conducted by the group of Oswald Avery, Maclyn McCarty, and Colin MacLeod. Confirmed that DNA was the cause of bacterial transformation, such as in pneumonia. -
Discovery of DNA Structure
James Watson and Francis Crick both discovered the structure of DNA, also known as the double helix. Both used x-ray diffraction to analyze the transfer of genetic material in the body. -
Hershey-Chase Experiments
A series of experiments led by Alfred Hershey and Martha Chase that proved DNA was genetic material. It was found when bacteriophages were shown to transfer their own DNA, but none of their proteins. -
1st gene sequenced
The first gene sequenced was the Bacteriophage MS2 from RNA sequencing. It was performed by Walter Fiers and his colleagues at the University of Ghent. -
1st recombinant organism
Herbert Boyer and Stanley Cohen were the first to create recombinant material in E.coli. This was one of the first instances of genetic engineering and led to further research about safe DNA research -
First transgenic animal
A mouse was the first transgenic animal, created from transferring the gene of a mouse to an embryo. It was developed by Richard Palmiter and Ralph Brinster of the Unniversity of Pennsylvania. -
PCR technique conceived
The polymerase chain reaction was developed by Kary Mullis at Cetus Corp. One night, he decided to use a primer pair to bracket DNA sequence to help allow it to replicated innumerous times. He got a Nobel Prize and a very generous bonus for this development. -
Human Genome Project
The Human Genome Project is a research project that is attempting to determine the base pairs and sequence of human genome DNA. Despite hte name, it has worked on other organisms as well as humans. -
First GM crop sold
The first GM crop sold was a tomato called FlavrSavr by Calgene. It was able to ripen without getting soft, but the product eventually became less profitable than other alternatives. -
Human embryonic stem cell line established
James Thomson created the first human embryonic stem cell line at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. Apparently, they are patented, and his research are used for current human embryonic stem cell lines.
