DNA was first isolated, analyzed and recognized as a unique macromolecule by Friedrich Miescher in 1869. Friedrich Mischer, who was an eminent physiological chemist from Switzerland, isolated this substance from the pus of discarded surgical bandages. Friedrich called it nuclein, since it was located in the nucleus of the cells. In 1919, Phoebus Levene identified the base, sugar and phosphate nucleotide unit in the structure. Further, in 1937, William Astbury produced the first X-ray diffraction patterns that proved that DNA had a regular structure.
In 1928, Frederick Griffith performed experiments to prove that DNA carried genetic information. Thereafter, Oswald Avery along with his co-workers identified DNA as the transforming principle in the year 1943. The role of DNA in heredity was confirmed in 1952, when Alfred Hershey and Martha Chase showed that DNA is the genetic material of the T2 phage. Finally in 1953, James D. Watson and Francis Crick suggested the first accurate model of DNA structure. It was the Meselson-Stahl experiment in1958, which led to the final confirmation of the replication mechanism that was implied by the double-helical structure.
The discovery of DNA was one of the major steps in the field of genetics. In case you don't know what DNA stands for, DNA stands for Deoxyribonucleic acid. DNA is a nucleic acid that contains the genetic instructions used in the development and functioning of all known living organisms and some viruses as well. The main function of these DNA molecules is long-term storage of information. In addition to this, if you are looking for more related topics, you can also read about DNA fingerprinting, DNA Research, DNA testing and other related issues like human clothing.
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