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Friedrich Miescher
Miescher isolated Nuclein DNA with associated proteins from the cell Nuclei. From this, he discovered that DNA was made up of Hydrogen, Phosphorous, Oxygen, and Nitrogen. He accomplished this by experimenting with the white blood cells and pus. -
Frederick Griffith
Injected S and R strain into mice. The mice that were injected with the S strain died whereas the R group lived. He killed the bacteria and the opposite happened to the mice. Afterward, he combined the bacteria that had no effect on the mice. -
Oswald Avery, Maclyn McCarty and Colin McCleod
They found that DNA can transform properties of cells. They also discovered that protein does not carry the hereditary information, instead, the DNA does. -
Erwin Chargaff
Erwin Chargaff used the X-Ray diffraction method to prove his big theory. He confirmed that Adenine residues are always equal to the thymine residues. This also relates to the equal split of Guanine and Cytosine. Along with this he takes it a step further and combines them to prove that the Adenosine and Guanine are the same as the Thymine and Cytosine makeup. -
Linus Pauling
Pauling used X-ray diffractions to confirm his thought that DNA was a double helix structure. While sick he drew atoms and chemical bonds. He only figured this out since he was bored. -
Barbara McClintock
Over a span of time, McClintock proved that genetic elements can sometimes change position on chromosomes making nearby genes active or inactive. 1940's-1950's)
McClintock first studied corn kernels then plants for this experiment. -
Rosalind Franklin and Maurice Wilkins
Franklin and Wilkins worked together to learn the basic dimensions of DNA strands. Franklin deduced that the phosphates were on the outside creating a helical structure. Wilkins figured he would be the lead on this project but Franklin quickly took over the experiment. -
Frederick Sanger
Frederick Sanger proved that proteins/amino acids were ordered molecules. Later on Sanger was able to prove the Dideoxy method applicable to DNA (1962) -
Alfred Hershey and Martha Chase
The scientists used P and S which are both radioisotopes these were mixed together with pellets. As a result of this, the P was inside the cell and the S was on the outside. DNA was injected into the last cells to make genetic material. -
James Watson and Francs Crick
Crick and Watson created models to recreate the DNA structure. This, in the end, helps how DNA replicates itself. Crick and Watson secretly had Franklin's X-ray images and took full advantage of it. -
Matthew Meselsin and Franklin Stahl
They confirmed Watson's and Crick's model by showing that each daughter DNA molecule contains one new daughter subunit. Along with this, there is a one daughter subunit conserved from the parental DNA molecule. In this experiment, they used gradient centrifugation to help them. -
Paul Berg
Berg was the first scientist to insert foreign genes into other viruses also called gene splicing.
Berg graduated high school at 16 and then went on to go to Penn State. -
Kary Mullis
Created the polymerase chain reaction. This is the process of amplifying millions of more DNA molecules of a particular segment. This process is used in medicine and extraction of fossil fuels. Mullis has had many impactful patented inventions. -
J. Craig Venter
Venter developed a way to find genes in the 1990s. Later on, he built a human genome with help from a supercomputer. His experiment with the genome took about three years.
