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Friedrich Miescher
Miescher was the person who determined that DNA is not a protein. He found out it was actually rich in nitrogen and phosphorus. An interesting fact is that Miescher was the first person to describe the substance DNA but never learned it’s function. -
Frederick Griffith (Part 1)
Fredrick Griffith discovered that hereditary information passes between two strains of bacteria (R and S). He found this out when researching on how to make a vaccine for pneumonia. When testing on mice using R and S injections of bacteria, heat destroyed the ability of lethal S bacteria to cause pneumonia, -
Frederick Griffith (Part 2)
but it did not destroy their hereditary material. The material could be transferred from dead S cells to live R cells, which put it to use which made the transformation permanent and heritable. An interesting fact about Griffith was that he died about 10 years later due to a German bombing in London. -
Oswald Avery, Maclyn McCarty & Colin McCleod
Avery, McCarty, and McCleod discovered that DNA is a hereditary material. They determined this when trying to see if proteins of the R cells were the transforming principle. They later found out that wasn’t the case but in fact the DNA was the transforming principle which means its hereditary. An interesting fact is that they didn’t thnk DNA was the transforming principle, because everyone thought DNA was to simple and considered it “a stupid molecule”. -
Alfred Hershey & Martha Chase
Hershey and Chase proved that DNA satisfies the first expected property of a hereditary molecule and not proteins. They did this when working with a virus that infects bacteria, that the material that is injected by the virus into bacteria is DNA and not proteins. An interesting fact is that DNA contains more phosphorus than sulfur. -
Linus Pauling
Pauling determined the shape of a helix of globular proteins which helped Watson and Crick with their discovery of DNA. A fact about Pauling is that he developed an accurate oxygen meter for submarines. -
Erwin Chargaff
Chargaff made 2 discoveries, the first one being that the amount of thymine and adenine are the same and the amount of cytosine and guanine are the same. The second one was that species differ in proportions depending on the amount of adenine and guanine. An interesting fact about Chargaff is that he named these two discoveries, Chargaff’s rules. -
Barbara McClintock
McClintock discovered that genes could be mobile. This meant that genes could change positions on chromosomes. An interesting fact about McClintock is that she on the Nobel Prize for Physiology -
Rosalind Franklin & Maurice Wilkins
Franklin and Wilkins discovered what DNA looked like by using X-ray crystallography. An interesting fact is that Franklin was the mastermind behind all of the discovery but Wilkins took all the credit. -
James Watson & Frances Crick
Watson and Crick discovered the double helix. This helped people because now everyone knew the structure of DNA thanks to Watson and Crick, and they knew what it looked like thanks to Franklin and Wilkins. An interesting fact is that Watson was given the Nobel Prize for the discovery of DNA. -
Fredrick Sanger
Sanger discovered and obtained the first protein sequence of DNA. This helped people understand that proteins were ordered molecules and that the genes and DNA that made up proteins have a sequence too. An interesting fact is that Sanger was given the Nobel Prize for Chemistry due to his discovery. -
Matthew Meselson & Franklin Stahl
Meselson and Stahl discovered that DNA is replicated semi-conservatively. This helped people understand that DNA strands would separate and each make copies of itselves making new cells. An interesting fact about Messelson is that he was taught under Linus Pauling who also was a trailblazer in the history of DNA -
Paul Berg
Berg was the first to create a DNA molecule made of parts from different organisms. It was known as a “Hybrid DNA”. An interesting fact about Berg is that he also won the Nobel Prize for chemistry. -
Kary Mullis
Mullis invented the process polymerase chain reaction. This invention helped people understand that small amounts of DNA could be copied in small periods of time and make large quantities. It is done when heat is applied and DNA molecules are separated and the DNA building blocks that were added, are bonded to one another. An interesting fact about Mullis is that he died just 2 years ago due to pneumonia. -
J. Craig Venter
Venter led the first draft sequence of the human genome and was the first to transfect a cell with a synthetic chromosome. This means that we as people can make chromosomes and implant them within cells. An interesting fact about Venter is that he also was taught by Linus Pauling.