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DNA Timeline
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Darwin The Origin of Species
Darwin proposed a theory of evolution occurring by the process of natural selection. The Origin of Species suggested that people were animals and might have evolved from apes this part of his work has been shown to be inaccurate. -
Mendel discovers genetics
Today, he is widely considered to be the father of genetics. Between 1856 and 1863 Mendel conducted experiments on pea plants, attempting to crossbreed "true" lines in specific combinations. It only took three decades for his paper to be taken seriously. -
Miescher identifies "nuclein"
Nuclein in the nuclei of human white blood cells, which we know today as deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA). He came across a substance that had unusual chemical properties with very high phosphorous content and a resistance to protein digestion. -
The Eugenics Movement
Eugenics movement is a notably dark chapter. The horrors of eugenics in Nazi Germany which came to light after WW2 completely extinguished what was left of the movement. Researchers became interested in controlling the breeding of human beings. -
Mendel's theories are rediscovered
Hugo de Vries, Carl Erich Correns and Erich Tschermak von Seysenegg all independently rediscovered Mendel's work and reported results of hybridization experiments similar to his findings.William Bateson became a leading champion of Mendel's theories. -
Sir Archibald Edward Garrod associated Mendel's theories with a human disease
Garrod had studied medicine at Oxford University before becoming a physician. Studying the human disorder alkaptonuria,He concluded that alkaptonuria was a recessive disorder and, -
Oswald Avery identifies DNA as the 'transforming principle'
The man who made the breakthrough was Oswald Avery, an immunochemist at the Hospital of the Rockefeller Institute for Medical Research. Avery had worked for years with the bacterium responsible for pneumonia, pneumococcus, and had discovered that if a live but harmless form of pneumococcus -
Erwin Chargaff discovers that DNA composition is species specific
Which identified DNA as the substance responsible for heredity. He subsequently submitted two papers to the Journal of Biological Chemistry (JBC) detailing the complete qualitative analysis of a number of DNA preparations despite the significance of the paper’s findings. -
Rosalind Franklin photographs crystallized DNA fibres
Conducted a large portion of the research which eventually led to the understanding of the structure of DNA. Achieving a doctorate in physical chemistry from Cambridge University in 1945, she spent three years at the Laboratoire Central des Services Chimiques de L'Etat in Paris, learning the X-Ray diffraction techniques that would make her name 1951, she returned to London to work as a research associate in John Randall's laboratory at King's College. -
James Watson and Francis Crick discover the double helix structure of DNA
James Watson visited Cambridge University and happened to meet Francis Crick. Despite an age difference of 12 years, the pair immediately hit it off and Watson remained at the university to study the structure of DNA at Cavendish Laboratory. -
George Gamow and the “RNA Tie Club”
Following Watson and Crick's discovery, scientists entered a period of frenzy, in which they rushed to be the first to decipher the genetic code. -
An additional copy of chromosome 21 linked to Down's syndrome
Cytogenetics first had a major impact on disease diagnosis in 1959, when an additional copy of chromosome 21 was linked to Down's syndrome. In the late 1960s and early 70s, stains such as Giemsa were introduced, which bind to chromosomes in a non-uniform fashion, creating bands of light and dark areas. -
Marshall Nirenberg is the first person to sequence the bases in each codon
Nirenberg tried to show that RNA could trigger protein synthesis. By 1960, Nirenberg and his post-doctoral fellow, Heinrich Matthaei were well on the way to solving the coding problem. -
Frederick Sanger develops rapid DNA sequencing techniques
He initially began working on sequencing RNA as it was smaller, but these techniques were soon applicable to DNA and eventually became the dideoxy method used in sequencing reactions today. -
Huntington's disease is the first mapped genetic disease
HD is a rare, progressive neurodegenerative disease which usually manifests itself between 30 and 45 years of age . It's characterised by a loss of motor control, jerky movements, psychiatric symptoms, dementia, altered personality and a decline in cognitive function -
The first gene found to be associated with increased susceptibility to familial breast and ovarian cancer is identified
The first gene to be associated with increased susceptibility to familial breast and ovarian cancer was identified. Scientists had performed DNA linkage studies on large families who showed characteristics related to hereditary breast ovarian cancer (HBOC) syndrome. -
The Human Genome Project begins
mapping the human genome and determining all 3.2 billion letters in it, mapping and sequencing the genomes of other organisms, if it would be useful to the study of biology, developing technology for the purpose of analysing DNA and studying the social, ethical and legal implications of genome research. -
Haemophilus Influenzae is the first bacterium genome sequenced
demonstrate the new strategy of "shotgun" sequencing, J. Craig Venter and colleagues published the first completely sequenced genome of a self-replicating, free-living organism - Haemophilus Influenzae. Known as H.flu, Haemophilus Influenzae is a bacterium that can cause meningitis and ear and respiratory infections in children. -
Dolly the sheep is cloned
The world famous Dolly the sheep was the first mammal to be cloned from an adult cell.Dolly was created by scientists working at the Roslin Institute in Scotland.Cloning from adult cells is a difficult process and out of 277 attempts Dolly was the only lamb to survive. -
'Bermuda Principles' established
The leaders of the Human Genome Project met in Bermuda and agreed that genome sequence data should be made freely available in the public domain within 24 hours of generation. Known as the 'Bermuda Principles', the agreement was designed to ensure that sequence information led as rapidly as possible to advances in healthcare and research. -
First human chromosome is decoded
An international team of researchers reached a major milestone when they unravelled for the first time the full genetic code of a human chromosome. The chromosome in question was chromosome 22, which contained 33.5 million "letters," or chemical components. -
The Human Genome Project is completed
Scientists had achieved a high-quality sequence of the entire human genome. In 2001, the Human Genome Project had published a 'rough draft' of the human genome, which included a 90% sequence of all three billion base pairs. -
DNA Worldwide and Eurofins Forensic discover identical twins have differences in their genetic makeup
, DNA Worldwide and their laboratory partners Eurofins Forensic were the first in the world to prove that twins have differences in their genetic make-up. Before this discovery, it was believed that monozygotic twins are 100% genetically identical, and that DNA testing could not be used in criminal or paternity cases involving identical twins, as it was impossible to tell them apart. -
Future – Epigenetics, personalised medicine and greater individual responsibility
These discoveries are likely to have a dramatic impact on the future of the healthcare system. We're beginning to understand that the choices we make can have a long-term impact on our health and can cause genetic level change, which could even impact future generations. Individual responsibility for our lifestyle choices is therefore more important than ever before.
