DNA: A Summary of Important Historical Discoveries
Bio 12 Allen
Outcomes addressed:
(315-1) summarize the main scientific discoveries that led to the modern concept of the gene
(114-2) explain the role of evidence, theories, and paradigms in the development of this scientific knowledge
(115-3) explain how a major scientific milestone revolutionized thinking in the scientific communities
Using your notes and text, complete the cart below
Scientist(s)
year brief summary of experiment (if details are
available to you)
Friedrich
Miescher
1869
Walter Sutton
1902
Thomas Hunt
Morgan
1910
Joachim
Hammerling
1930
Frederick
Griffith
1931
Oswald Avery
& associates
1944
Hershey &
Chase
1952
•
•
Conclusions made from experiment
DNA: A Summary of Important Historical Discoveries
Bio 12 Allen
Using your notes and text, complete the cart below
Scientist(s)
year
brief summary of experiment (if details are
available to you)
Conclusions made from experiment
Friedrich
Miescher
1869
Isolated the nuclei from pus cells
• Discovered a chemical that didn`t act
like protein. He named it “nuclein”
nuclein  rich in phosphorus, contained no
sulfur (so it wasn’t protein)
Walter Sutton
1902
observed that chromosomes obey Mendel's
rules of inheritance
-Suggested that “genes” are located on
chromosomes.
Noticed that “genes” are inherited in the
same fashion as chromosomes
Thomas Hunt
Morgan
1910
Stated that each “gene” had a locus on a
particular chromosome
Joachim
Hammerling
1930
Studied Acetabularia. Cut off foot/stalk
hereditary information is localized to nuclei
Frederick
Griffith
1931
•
Coined the term, ‘transforming principle”.
Oswald Avery
& associates
1944
•
Hershey &
Chase
1952
Injected mice with smooth virulent and
rough avirulent strains of bacteria.
experiment led Avery to design his own
experiments to identify the “transforming
agent.”
Enzymes that degrade proteins and RNA did
not prevent transformation.
Enzymes that digest DNA did prevent
transformation.
• grew two batches of phages in
radioactive sulfur/phosphorous
Results suggested that DNA was the
transforming agent
DNA is the genetic information. NOT protein