-
Freidrich Miescher
Studying at the University of Tubigen,Miescher discovered a substance containing both phosphorus and nitrogen in the nuclei of white blood cells. During these experiments, he noticed a substance with unexpected properties that did not match those of proteins. Miescher had obtained the first crude purification of DNA which led him to his big discovery of what was in the white blood cells. Because this took place in the nuclein, he changed the name to deoxyribonucleic acid. -
Watson and Crick
These scientists were the first to claim the shape of DNA was a double helix. Another scientist, Linus Pauling, had wrongfully named the shape of a DNA structure so these two geniuses decided to prove him wrong by proving his studies of DNA containing a long chain of monomer nucleotides, wound around each other. -
Rosalind Franklin
after being admitted into a college in London where she studied X-ray crystallography. She later studied DNA on her own and wrote notes including Photo 51. This picture was proof that DNA’s helical structure had two strands attached in the middle by the phosphate bases. she came to this conclusion by having two different fibers, a wet and dry fiber. she used this and a x-ray diffraction technique. -
Erwin Chargaff
While studying at Colombia University in 1935, he began to further his knowledge into the composition of DNA. He had scientifically proven certain facts about the molecular structure which are now known as the Chargaff's Rules.
1) Adenine always has to equal the # of Thymine.
2) Guanine always has to equal the # of Cytosine.
3) The number of purines has to equal the # of pyrimidines.
He based his own studies to Franklin's and Watson's to conclude his findings true. -
Alfred Hershey & Martha Chase
Alfred was accepted into Washington School of Medicine where he studied bacteriophage. Hershey discovered that phage can recombine when co-infected into a bacteria host which led to new theories that the people from Carnegie Institution of Washington found interesting and so accepting him into the school. Here he and Martha Chase did the Hershey-Chase blender experiment that proved that phage DNA, and not protein, was the genetic material. -
Meselson & Stahl
While working together in Woods Hole, Meselson met Stahl and began working together by basing each other's theories off of Watson's and Crick's experiments trying to prove or disprove it. In the process, they were able to provide evidence for semi-conservative replication of the DNA molecule where two parent serve as the template for synthesis of new strands.They did this by inventing a new technique called density gradient centrifugation, which uses centrifugal force to separate molecules.
