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Friedrich Miescher
Miescher was the first person to observe and extract DNA from white blood cells. He was the oldest of 5 sons. -
Frederick Griffith
Griffith was the first to reveal the “transforming principle,” which led to the discovery that DNA acts as the carrier of genetic information. He studied medicine at the University of Liverpool -
Oswald Avery, Maclyn McCarty & Colin McCleod
The group showed that DNA can transform the properties of cells, clarifying the chemical nature of genes. The group was not as respected back then because of the unimportance of the process of living things to people. -
Barbara McClintock
McClintock discovered that some genes were mobile and could change positions on chromosomes. She won a Nobel Prize in medicine for her discoveries on genetic engineering and cancer research. -
Erwin Chargaff
Chargaff discovered that the proportions of bases in DNA depend on the species the DNA comes from. He has two rules which were named after him: Chargaff’s rules -
Alfred Hershey & Martha Chase
Hershey and Chase concluded that protein was not genetic material and DNA was genetic material. They conducted experiments at the Carnegie Institute of Washington in Cold Spring. -
Rosalind Franklin & Maurice Wilkins
Franklin and Wilkins revealed the chemical and physical basics of how characteristics are passed down through the generations and how they are expressed in individual organisms. The pair had differences and ended up working relatively isolated. Franklin is most known for Photo 51. -
James Watson & Frances Crick
They claim they determined the double-helix structure of genes. However, it was actually Rosalind Franklin who discovered this, and Watson and Crick got a hold of Photo 51. They won a Nobel Prize for discovering genes. -
Frederick Sanger
Sanger was the first to obtain a protein sequence. He proved that proteins were ordered molecules and would also prove genes and DNA had an order as well. He won a Nobel Prize for chemistry in 1958. -
Matthew Meselson & Franklin Stahl
Meselson and Stahl proved that DNA is replicated semi-conservatively and helped cement the concept of the double helix. They made it a priority to learn the basis before working with DNA in their early years. -
Linus Pauling
Pauling proposed a triple helix structure with bases on the outside, which was ultimately disproved by James Watson and Francis Crick. He discovered the spiral structure of proteins, and his discoveries helped Watson and Crick’s breakthrough. -
Paul Berg
Berg created the first DNA molecule made of parts from different parts of organisms also known as “hybrid DNA” or “recombinant DNA.” Won a Nobel Prize for chemistry in 1980. -
Kary Mullis
Mullis invented polymerase chain reaction which is a process where a small amount of DNA is copied in large quantities over a short period of time. She died from pneumonia at 74. -
J. Craig Venter
Venter pioneered techniques in genetics and genomics research. He is the founder, chairman, and CEO of J. Craig Venter Institute.
