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Friedrich Miescher
Friedrich Miescher had made the discovery of nuclein. He found this molecule in the the nucleus. This molecule was made up of hydrogen, oxygen, nitrogen, and phosphorus. He also found a unique ratio of phosphorus to nitrogen. He found this chemical by collecting bandages from clinics and washing the pus off of it. Later on, he started using salmon sperm as a source for his research. One thing I found interesting was that he had hearing problems. -
Frederick Griffith
Griffith had made the discovery of pneumococcal transformation. He injected mice with an S strand and an R strand of Streptococcus pneumoniae. He found that the mice injected with the S strand died and R strand didn't die. When Griffith mixed a heat-killed S strand and a normal R strand, the mouse died. He extracted bacteria from this dead mouse and found live S strand bacteria. One thing I found interesting was that he attended Liverpool University. -
Oswald Avery, Maclyn McCarty, & Colin MacLeod
Oswald Avery, Maclyn McCarty, & Colin MacLeod discovered that DNA can transform into properties of the cell. These three scientists knew that the transforming principle(DNA) wasn't a protein like other thought. However, Avery, McCarty, and MacLeod had tried many tests to try and prove this theory but they couldn't find an answer. They called the transformation principle a nucleic acid. I found it interesting that Avery decided not to give DNA a genetic role as soon as he found an answer. -
Erwin Chargaff
Erwin Chargaff contributed the Chargaff law. The Chargaff law says that both the pyrimidine and purine bases must be in a 1:1, or equal, ratio. Chargaff had believed Avery's experiment showed different species have different types of DNA. By using a Moeibus strip and Albrecht Kossel's discovery, he came up with the conclusion that all the bases in DNA are equal. One thing I found interesting was that he was very good with different word languages. -
Alfred Hershey & Martha Chase
Alfred Hershey and Martha Chase confirmed that DNA is in fact a genetic material carrier of the cell. Hershey and Chase wanted to confirm Avery, McCarty, and McLeod's study because many other scientists did not believe the group. They conducted this experiment by using bacteriophage do transfer DNA into e coli. bacteria. One thing I found interesting was that Alfred originally thought that proteins carried genetic material instead of the transforming principle. -
Linus Pauling
Linus Pauling is one of the founders of quantum chemistry and molecular biology. Pauling also discovered the structure of proteins. Pauling also tried to find the structure of DNA. He had thought that it was a triple helix structure but Watson and Crick disproved him and proposed their famous double helix model. I find it interesting that he was he was an activist. -
Rosalind Franklin & Maurice Wilkins
Rosalind Franklin & Maurice Wilkins made major leaps in finding the structure of DNA with Watson and Crick. Franklin and Wilkins never really got along but they were both excellent at using X-ray crystallography machines. Franklins image from one of the X-ray machines was used to help create Watson and Crick's model double helix model.
