DNA Scientists

Question 1

Gregor Mendel

Answer 1

1865 - fundamental laws of inheritance with pea plants

Question 2

Friedrich Meischer

Answer 2

1869 - Isolated nucleic acid (“nuclein”); used pus from used hospital bandages for white blood cells

Question 3

Archibald Garrod

Answer 3

1902 - Alkaptonuria were inherited according to Mendelian rules; 1st person to connect Mendel’s principles to human disorders

Question 4

Thomas Hunt Morgan

Answer 4

1909 - Demonstrated genes are carried on chromosomes, are mechanical basis of heredity, some are sex-linked; used fruit flies

Question 5

Frederick Griffith

Answer 5

1928 - Transforming principle; led to notion that DNA is genetic; used mice

Question 6

Oswald Avery

Answer 6

1944 - DNA is material of chromosomes; isolated S-strain bacteria

Question 7

Erwin Chargoff

Answer 7

1950 - ratios of nitrogenous bases are equal; used paper chromatography

Question 8

Frederick Sanger

Answer 8

1951 to 1955 - proteins are organized molecules (found while trying to identify amino groups) and that therefore DNA should be organized too; protein sequence

Question 9

Hershey-Chase

Answer 9

1952 - DNA genetic material

Question 10

Rosalind Franklin

Answer 10

1952 - X-ray crystallography to identify double helix

Question 11

Watson-Crick

Answer 11

1953 - took Franklin’s work and interpreted it; double helix

Question 12

George Gamow

Answer 12

1954 - triplet code of genetics (codons) and 20 different aminos

Question 13

Meselson-Stahl

Answer 13

1958 - semiconservative

Question 14

Marshall Nirenberg

Answer 14

1961 - 64 codons; RNA is conductor of protein synthesis; cell-free system