History of Central Dogma

Galileo invents compound microscope

Jan 17, 1624

Italian mathematician Galileo Galilei perfects his compound microscope invention and catalogs his observations of insects and the stunning geometric patterns found on their eyes.

Hooke discovers the cell

Jan 17, 1667

Englishman Robert Hooke uses his compound microscope to make diagrams of dead cork cells. He called them cellulae, meaning "little room".

Antony van Leeuwenhoek

Jan 17, 1674

In 1674, Dutch Antony van Leeuwenhoek discovered "animacules" and was the first to witness many organisms in the Archae and Protista domains.

Brown identifies center of cell as nucleus

Jan 17, 1831

Scottish biologists Robert Brown notes the opaque part of a cell and names it the nucleus.

Schleiden proposed that each cell develops independently

Jan 17, 1838

German botanist Matthias Schleiden proposed that each individual cell develops individually either though it might be part of another animal.

Schwann agrees with Schleiden

Jan 17, 1839

German zoologist Theodor Schwann agreed with Schleiden that cells develop individually. The myelinated portion of a neuron cell is named after him.

Virchow discovers that each cell must come from another

Jan 17, 2012

German physiologist Rudolf Virchow concludes that every existing cell comes from another previously existing cell after observing mitosis and cytokinesis.