17 Questions
Who discovered the reverse transcriptase enzyme?
Baltimore and Temin
Which technique was discovered by Mullis in 1983?
PCR
In which year was the first eukaryotic genome sequenced?
1996
What launched the era of molecular mapping of linkage groups according to Botstein?
RFLPs
Which group is credited with developing the first automated DNA sequencer?
Sanger Group
Who definitively proved that DNA is the genetic material?
Avery, MacLeod, McCarty
In which year was the Chromosomal Theory of Inheritance formulated?
1900
Who defined the structure of DNA in 1953?
Francis Crick and James Watson
Which pair linked Darwinian evolutionary theory with Mendelian Genetics?
Fisher and Dobzhansky
Who constructed the first recombinant DNA molecule that came online?
Berg
What year marked the introduction of the Neutral Theory of Molecular Evolution by Kimura?
1968
Who showed that the material in the nucleus was a nucleic acid?
Miescher
Which discovery led to the advent of the field of cytogenetics?
Griffith's experiments with a bacterial strain
Who determined that DNA, not protein or RNA, was responsible for genetic inheritance?
Avery, MacLeod and McCarty
Who is credited with determining the structure of DNA?
Watson and Crick
What major advancement heralded the concept of molecular biology and molecular genetics?
Development of recombinant DNA technology using restriction enzymes
Which method was pivotal in constructing recombinant DNA molecules with foreign DNA?
Use of restriction enzymes
Study Notes
Mid to Late 19th Century: Evolution, Natural Selection, and Inheritance
- 1858: Darwin and Wallace describe the role of natural variation and natural selection in evolution
- 1865: Gregor Mendel discovers particulate inheritance
- 1866: Ernst Haeckel suggests that heredity materials are located in the nucleus
- 1871: Friedrich Miescher discovers that the material in the nucleus is a nucleic acid
Early 20th Century: Mendelian Principles and Chromosomal Theory
- 1900: Correns, de Vries, and von Tschermak rediscover Mendel's work, marking the beginning of genetics
- 1902: Walter Sutton and Theodor Boveri propose the chromosomal theory of inheritance, suggesting that heredity material resides in chromosomes
- 1905-1923: Key concepts like linkage, sex linkage, genetic mapping, and lethal genes emerge
- 1908: Hardy and Weinberg formulate the Hardy-Weinberg principle of genetic equilibrium
Mid 20th Century: DNA Structure and Molecular Genetics
- 1928: Griffith's experiments establish DNA as the genetic material
- 1944: Avery, MacLeod, and McCarty provide definitive proof that DNA is the genetic material
- 1953: Watson and Crick describe the structure of DNA
- 1954-1961: The DNA code is determined through transformation experiments
Late 20th Century: Molecular Biology and Genomics
- 1969: ARPANET (the Internet) is established
- 1972: First recombinant DNA molecule is constructed
- 1977: DNA sequencing techniques are developed
- 1980: First genome is sequenced (bacteriophage ΦX174)
- 1983: PCR (Polymerase Chain Reaction) technique is discovered
- 1990: Human Genome Project is launched
- 1995: First bacterial genome (H. influenza) is sequenced
- 1996: First eukaryotic genome (yeast) is sequenced
- 2000: First flowering plant genome (Arabidopsis thaliana) is sequenced
- 2001: Human genome sequence is published
Test your knowledge on key discoveries and advancements in the field of molecular biology, from the discovery of reverse transcriptase to the first genome sequencing and the invention of PCR technique. How well do you know the major milestones in molecular biology history?
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