Genetics

Genetics (from the Greek genno γεννώ= give birth) is the science of genes, heredity, and the variation of organisms. The word genetics was first applied to describe the study of inheritance and the science of variation by English scientist William Bateson in a letter to Adam Sedgewick, dated April 18, 1905.

History

In his paper "Versuche uber Pflanzenhybriden" ("Experiments in Plant Hybridization"), presented in 1865 to the Brunn Natural History Society, Gregor Mendel traced the inheritance patterns of certain traits in pea plants and showed that they could be described mathematically. Although not all features show these patterns of Mendelian inheritance, his work suggested the utility of the application of statistics to the study of inheritance. Since that time many more complex forms of inheritance have been demonstrated.

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1865 - Gregor Mendel - Mendelian inheritance

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The significance of Mendel's work was not understood until early in the twentieth century, after his death, when his research was re-discovered by other scientists working on similar problems.

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Mendel was unaware of the physical nature of the gene. We now know that genetic information is normally carried on DNA. (Certain viruses store their genetic information in RNA). Manipulation of DNA can in turn alter the inheritance and features of various organisms.

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DNA - RNA

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Ultimately, genetics determine what people look like and possibly how they act.

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Timeline of notable discoveries

:1859 Charles Darwin publishes The Origin of Species

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1859 - Charles Darwin - The Origin of Species

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:1865 Gregor Mendel's paper, Experiments on Plant Hybridization

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1865 - Gregor Mendel

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:1903 Chromosomes are discovered to be hereditary units

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1903 - Chromosome

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:1905 British biologist William Bateson coins the term "genetics" in a letter to Adam Sedgwick

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1905 - William Bateson

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:1910 Thomas Hunt Morgan shows that genes reside on chromosomes

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1910 - Thomas Hunt Morgan

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:1913 Alfred Sturtevant makes the first genetic map of a chromosome

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1913 - Alfred Sturtevant

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:1918 Ronald Fisher publishes On the correlation between relatives on the supposition of Mendelian inheritance - the modern synthesis starts.

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1918 - Ronald Fisher - Modern synthesis

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:1913 Gene maps show chromosomes containing linear arranged genes

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1913 - Gene map

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:1927 Physical changes in genes are called mutations

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1927 - Mutation

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:1928 Frederick Griffith discovers a hereditary molecule that is transmissible between bacteria (see Griffiths experiment)

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1928 - Frederick Griffith - Griffiths experiment

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:1931 Crossing over is the cause of recombination (see Barbara McClintock and cytogenetics)

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1931 - Crossing over - Recombination - Barbara McClintock - Cytogenetics

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:1941 Edward Lawrie Tatum and George Wells Beadle show that genes code for proteins; see the original central dogma of genetics

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1941 - Edward Lawrie Tatum - George Wells Beadle - Protein - Central dogma of genetics

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:1944 Oswald Theodore Avery, Colin McLeod and Maclyn McCarty isolate DNA as the genetic material (at that time called transforming principle)

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1944 - Oswald Theodore Avery - Colin McLeod - Maclyn McCarty - DNA - Transforming principle

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:1950 Erwin Chargaff shows that the four nucleotides are not present in nucleic acids in stable proportions, but that some general rules appear to hold (e.g., that the amount of adenine, A, tends to be equal to that of thymine, T). Barbara McClintock discovers transposons in maize

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1950 - Erwin Chargaff - Barbara McClintock - Transposon - Maize

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:1952 The Hershey-Chase experiment proves the genetic information of phages (and all other organisms) to be DNA

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1952 - Hershey-Chase experiment - Phage

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:1953 DNA structure is resolved to be a double helix by James D. Watson and Francis Crick

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1953 - Helix - James D. Watson - Francis Crick

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:1956 Jo Hin Tjio and Albert Levan established the correct chromosome number in humans to be 46

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1956 - Jo Hin Tjio - Albert Levan - Chromosome

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:1958 The Meselson-Stahl experiment demonstrates that DNA is semiconservatively replicated

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1958 - Meselson-Stahl experiment - Semiconservatively replicated

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:1961 The genetic code is arranged in triplets

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1961 - Genetic code

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:1964 Howard Temin showed using RNA viruses that Watson's central dogma is not always true

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1964 - Howard Temin - RNA virus - Central dogma

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:1970 Restriction enzymes were discovered in studies of a bacterium, Haemophilius influenzae, enabling scientists to cut and paste DNA

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:1977 DNA is sequenced for the first time by Fred Sanger, Walter Gilbert, and Allan Maxam working independently. Sanger's lab complete the entire genome of sequence of Bacteriophage Φ-X174;.

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1977 - Sequenced - Fred Sanger - Walter Gilbert - Allan Maxam - Bacteriophage - Φ-X174;

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:1983 Kary Banks Mullis discovers the polymerase chain reaction enabling the easy amplification of DNA

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1983 - Kary Banks Mullis - Polymerase chain reaction

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:1989 The first human gene is sequenced by Francis Collins and Lap-Chee Tsui, it encodes the CFTR protein, defects in this gene cause cystic fibrosis

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1989 - Francis Collins - Lap-Chee Tsui - CFTR - Cystic fibrosis

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:1995 The genome of Haemophilus influenzae is the first genome of a free living organism to be sequenced

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1995 - Haemophilus influenzae

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:1996 Saccharomyces cerevisiae is the first eukaryote genome sequence to be released

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1996 - Eukaryote

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:1998 The first genome sequence for a multicellular eukaryote, C. elegans is released

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1998 - C. elegans

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:2001 First draft sequences of the human genome are released simultaneously by the Human Genome Project and Celera Genomics.

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2001 - Human Genome Project - Celera Genomics

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:2003 (14 April) Successful completion of Human Genome Project with 99% of the genome sequenced to a 99.99% accuracy http://www.genoscope.cns.fr/externe/English/Actualites/Presse/HGP/HGP_press_release-140403.pdf

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2003 - 14 April - Accuracy

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