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Gregor Mendel Experiments
Mendel researched tranasmission of hereditary traits through pea plants. He cross fertilized plants with characteristics like smooth and wrinkled skin, green and yellow color, tall,and short. In his experiments, he came up with the Law of Segregation and Law of Independent Assortment. -
Stem Cells
Stem cells are undifferentiated biological cells that can differentiate into specialized cells and produce more stem cells through mitosis. These cells creates most all cells in the body. Bone marrow transplantation uses stem cells. -
Pharmaceuticals
Pharmeceuticals are used in healthcare to help with diagnosis, cure, treatment, or prevention of a disease. Insulin was the first pharmaceutical using genetically engineered bacteria. It is made from the human genes that codes for insulin and it is cloned in the bacteriuma. -
Avery - MacLeod - McCarty report their findings
Avery and Macleod made the discovery that DNA may be the hereditary material of bacteria, in a time when it was believed that proteins carried the hereditary material. The experiments showed that the protein coat did nothing, while the infected DNA multiplied in the bacteria. -
Franklin
Rosalind Franklin produced the first x-ray image of DNA fibers. She used two different fibers of DNA, one being more hydrated than the other. Although she worked with WIlkins, her work was not really noticed as much as his. -
Hershey-Chase Experiment
These experiments led to the discovery of the protein coat around viruses. This also meant that when a foreign substance was introduced, it would only affect the outside protein coat and not the DNA inside. It led to the discovery of DNA being the carrier for genetic material. They continued the experiments carried out by Avery and Macleod. -
Watson and Crick discovery
Watson and Crick, with the help of Rosalind Franklin and Maurice Wilkins, discovered the true structure of DNA is a double helix. Franklin discovered the helical structure, while with the pictures provided, Watson and Crick suggested that there were two chains of nucleotides that met in the middle. -
Maurice Wilkins last stage of work
Wilkins studes were in three parts spanning several decades of work and with different scientists. The first produced a clear image of DNA. The second he produced a clear structure picture of DNA in an "X" shape. With the input of Rosalind Franklin, he concluded the structure was in a double helix. -
Gel Electrophoresis
Gel electrophoresis is a process of separation and analysis of DNA and their fragments. An electric current is applied and the negatively charged DNA moves through the chambers toward the positive pole. Scientists use this method to detect alterations in the DNA sequence. -
Restriction Enzyme analysis
Restriction enzymes can along DNA searching for a sequence of bases they recognize. Then is attaches itself to the DNA and cuts it in half and will continue this process until the DNA is broken up into fragments. We use this to form an analysis of these bases in specific regions of DNA -
Genetic Engineering
Genetic Engineering is the manipulation of an organism's genome using biotechnology. This requires manually adding new DNA to an organism. The goal is to add new traits that aren't found in that organism. We use genetic engineering to make "healthier" foods and to eliminate several diseases. This eventually led to GMOs. -
GMOs
Genetic modification invlovles deletion, insertion, or mutation of a gene. We can manipulate these genes by attaching the genes to a virus, inserting DNA into the nucleus, electroporation, and by firing small particles using a gene gun. GMOs are used in biological research, argriculture, experimental medicine, and to produce pharmaceutical drugs. An example of this is the "glofish". -
Plasmid Based Transformation
Transformation produces a mixture of relatively few transformed cells and a large amount of non abundant. In a cloning experiment, a gene may be inserted into a plasmid used in transformation. More techniques may be used to further screen for transformed cells that contain plasmid with an insert. -
Transgenic Animals
A transgenic animal is an animal that carries a gene that was inserted into its genome. There are 3 methods for the creation of these animals which are DNA microinjection, embryonic stem cell mediated gene transfer, and retrovirus mediated gene transfer. We create transgenic animals for specific economic traits and for disease models. -
Polymerase Chain Reaction
Polymerase chain reaction is used to copy segments of DNA. This is done by heating DNA so it denatures and an enzyme called taq polymerase builds two new strands of DNA using the original as templates. This machine aids in a number of clinical techniques, including DNA fingerprinting, detection of bacteria/viruses, and diagnosis of genetic disorders. -
Cloning
Clones are genetically identical copies of a biological organism. This is done by inserting a gene from one organism into the gentic material of a carrier. The famous animal that was cloned was a sheep named "Dolly the Sheep". -
Human Genome Project
The Human Genome Project is a national project to write down the entire human genome. Through the mapping of the human genome, scientists can understand diseases, evolution, anthropology, and many other things. The mapping was completed in 2003.
