Describe in a short answer the history of the discovery of DNA
Since this is not my area of expertise, I searched Google under the key words "history of the discovery of DNA" to get these possible sources:
https://www.google.com/search?client=safari&rls=en&q=history+of+the+discovery+of+DNA&ie=UTF-8&oe=UTF-8&gws_rd=ssl
In the future, you can find the information you desire more quickly, if you use appropriate key words to do your own search. Also see http://hanlib.sou.edu/searchtools/.
http://www.hackcollege.com/blog/2011/11/23/infographic-get-more-out-of-google.html
The discovery of DNA can be attributed to multiple scientists, but the key milestones are as follows:
1. Friedrich Miescher (1869): Miescher isolates a substance from the nuclei of white blood cells, which he calls "nuclein." This substance is later identified as DNA.
2. Friedrich Griffith (1928): Griffith conducts an experiment with pneumonia-causing bacteria, where he discovers a mysterious transforming principle that can transfer genetic information between different strains of bacteria.
3. Oswald Avery, Colin MacLeod, and Maclyn McCarty (1944): Building upon Griffith's work, Avery, MacLeod, and McCarty identify that DNA, not protein, is the substance responsible for Griffith's transforming principle.
4. Alfred Hershey and Martha Chase (1952): Hershey and Chase perform an elegant experiment using bacteriophages (viruses that infect bacteria), concluding that DNA, not proteins, is the genetic material that is passed on to offspring.
5. James Watson and Francis Crick (1953): Building on the X-ray crystallography work of Rosalind Franklin and others, Watson and Crick successfully propose the double helix structure of DNA, which demonstrates how genetic information is stored and replicated.
It is important to note that the discovery of DNA was a collective effort involving multiple researchers over many years. Each breakthrough built upon previous findings, leading to our current understanding of DNA's essential role in genetics.