History of Genetics

Genetics Timeline

Period: Apr 1, 1866 to Apr 1, 1961

Gregor Mendel

Apr 10, 1866

using pea plants and selective breeding, mendel found that parents pass certain traits onto offspring

Bateson and Punnet

Apr 10, 1908

William Bateson and Reginald Punnet found linked genes by beeding pea plants and observing two traits rather than one (Mendel).

Thomas Hunt Morgan

Apr 10, 1915

Observed and bred fruit flies. Linked inheritance of traits to chromosomes and discovered genes.

Archibald Garrod

Apr 10, 1925

Hypothesized that genes dictate phenotypes through enzymes.
He proposed the relationship between genes and proteins

Frederick Griffith

Apr 10, 1928

Performed experiments on a species of pnemeunia and bactaeria. Discovered DNA in cells.

George Beadle and Edward Tatum

Apr 10, 1941

Studied orange bread mold when in different medians. Together created the Gene-One hypothesis.

Erwin Chargriff

Apr 10, 1949

found that the amount of Adenine equals to the amount of Thymine and that the amount of Cytosine equals the amount of Guanine.
Discovered the Base Pairing Rule: A=T & C=G

Alfred Hershey and Martha Chase

Apr 10, 1952

Tagged DNA and protein with radioactive phosphorous and sulfur. Discovered that DNA awas the genetic material.

Maurice Wilkins and Rosalind Franklin

Apr 10, 1952

Took an Xray crystallographic photo of Dna. Found first view of DNA

James Watson and Francis Crick

Apr 10, 1953

Using Wilkins picture, constructed Dna Molecules. Showed first model of DNA structure.

Marshall Nirenberg

Apr 10, 1961

Synthesized RNA molecules using an uracil base. Deciphered the first condon.