founders of DNA and its structure

What experiment did Hershey and Chase conduct?

Hershey and Chase conducted an experiment with bacteriophages to prove that DNA carries genetic information. They labeled DNA with radioactive phosphorus and proteins with radioactive sulfur to track their movement in bacteria.

When did Hershey and Chase make their discovery?

They made their discovery in 1952, through the experiment known as the "blender experiment."

Where did Hershey and Chase conduct their experiment?

The experiment was conducted at Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory in New York, part of the Carnegie Institution of Washington.

Who were Alfred Hershey and Martha Chase?

Alfred Hershey was a bacteriologist who received the Nobel Prize in 1969. Martha Chase was a research assistant who helped conduct the experiment at Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory.

What did Hershey and Chase discover?

They discovered that DNA, not proteins, carries the genetic material in cells.

What was the scientific consensus before Hershey and Chase's experiment?

Before the experiment, many scientists believed proteins carried the genetic material because of their greater structural diversity.

Who was Frederick Griffith?

Frederick Griffith was a British bacteriologist who discovered the process of bacterial transformation, where bacteria can take in genetic material from their environment.

What did Frederick Griffith's experiment involve?

Griffith injected mice with two strains of pneumonia: smooth (deadly) and rough (non-deadly). He found that the rough strain could become deadly after absorbing genetic material from heat-killed smooth strain bacteria.

When did Frederick Griffith conduct his experiment?

Griffith conducted his experiment and reported his findings in 1928.

Where did Frederick Griffith conduct his research?

Griffith conducted his research at the Ministry of Health’s Pathological Laboratory.

Who is James D. Watson?

James D. Watson, born in 1928, is a well-known American zoologist and geneticist. He graduated from the University of Chicago in 1947 and co-discovered the structure of DNA.

Who is Francis Crick?

Francis Crick, born in 1916 in England, studied physics before switching to biology at University College London. He co-discovered the structure of DNA with James Watson.

What event sparked James D. Watson's interest in DNA?

In May of 1951, Watson attended a convention in Naples where he became fascinated with the structure of DNA after seeing X-ray photos taken by Maurice Wilkins.

Where and when did Watson and Crick discover the structure of DNA?

Watson and Crick discovered the double helix structure of DNA in February 1953 at the Cavendish Laboratory in Cambridge, England.

Who were Maurice Wilkins and Rosalind Franklin?

Maurice Wilkins and Rosalind Franklin were scientists who studied DNA using X-ray crystallography. Franklin captured the famous "Photo 51," which provided key data for Watson and Crick.

What was "Photo 51"?

"Photo 51" was an X-ray diffraction image of DNA taken by Rosalind Franklin. It revealed the helical structure of DNA and was key to Watson and Crick's model of DNA.

What were Chargaff’s Rules?

Chargaff’s Rules state that in DNA, the amount of adenine (A) equals thymine (T), and the amount of cytosine (C) equals guanine (G). This is crucial for understanding DNA structure.

Who was Erwin Chargaff?

Erwin Chargaff was a biochemist who discovered that in DNA, the proportion of adenine equals thymine, and cytosine equals guanine. This became known as Chargaff's Rules.

How did Erwin Chargaff discover his rules?

Chargaff used paper chromatography and UV spectrophotometry to separate and measure the amounts of nitrogenous bases in DNA samples.

Who was Oswald Avery and what did he discover?

Oswald Avery was a Canadian-born American bacteriologist who, in 1944, identified DNA as the "transforming principle" in cells, following experiments on pneumonia bacteria.

What was the significance of the Avery-MacLeod-McCarty experiment?

The experiment showed that DNA was the material responsible for transformation in bacteria, proving that DNA carries genetic information, not proteins.

How did the Avery-MacLeod-McCarty experiment work?

They used heat-killed S-strain bacteria (virulent) and mixed them with live R-strain bacteria (non-virulent). When DNA was destroyed by DNase, transformation did not occur, confirming DNA as the transforming principle.

What happened to Rosalind Franklin after her discovery?

Rosalind Franklin died of cancer in 1958, likely caused by her exposure to X-rays during her research.

What controversial award did Watson, Crick, and Maurice Wilkins receive?

In 1962, Watson, Crick, and Wilkins won the Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine for the discovery of DNA's structure. Franklin was not included, leading to controversy.

What contributions did James Watson make after the DNA discovery?

James Watson became the director of the National Center for Human Genome Research in 1989 and contributed to the Human Genome Project.

When and where did Francis Crick die?

Francis Crick passed away on July 28, 2004, at the University of California San Diego, after battling colon cancer.

How has the discovery of DNA's structure impacted science?

The discovery of the double helix structure of DNA has helped us understand how genetic information is stored, replicated, and used to produce proteins, leading to advances in fields like genetics and medicine.

What is the significance of the double helix structure of DNA?

The double helix structure of DNA explains how genetic information is copied and how proteins are synthesized, crucial for understanding genetics, inheritance, and cellular function.