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Mendel's Discovery
After joining a monestary and making the decision to begin studying plants and their variations, Gregor Mendel starts experimenting with genetic traits in pea plants. Through a long series of these experiments, Mendel discovered that genitic traits were passed down from first generation to second generation fairly easily and predictably. -
Crick and Watson Create Structure
Francis Crick and James Watson worked togather to study x-ray crystallographic images and models. They pet these models togather to create the double-helix, or DNA's structure. -
Plasmid Purification
Plasmids, which are found inside some DNA, are discovered to be able to replicate some forms of genes. The process of extracting these plasmids is discovered, and called 'plasmid purification.' -
Berg and Others Scientists Create Recombinant DNA
Paul Berg began experimenting with crude genetic engineering projects. Through these experiments, Berg discovers how to insert DNA from one species, successfully, into another molecule. This was called recombinant DNA. -
Cohen and Boyer invent DNA Cloning
Genetic scientists Herbert Boyer and Stanley Cohen invent DNA cloning. DNA cloning is isolating a single DNA molecule, then replicating and multiplying that particular type of DNA. -
First Recombinant Drug Sold
After being approved by the FDA, insulin, the first ever marketed recombinant DNA product, is put on consumer shelves. The drug was first called Humulin. -
Polymerase Chain Reaction
The process of the polymerase chain reaction (PCR) is invented, which creates many copies of specific genes. The inventor, Kary Mullis, used heat and enzymes to make this process work. -
DNA Microarrays
DNA microarrays are invented to help measure the process that a gene is used within certain other processes. Microarrays are also called DNA chips, or biochips.
