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History: A story of DNA
Although the discovery of DNA has not occurred until much later, the idea of bioinformatics can be dated to the medieaval ages. The idea of lineage and family history predates to a time where illness were thought to be caused by demons. Even in the modern era, genetics still intrigues people.
DNA is first isolated in 1869
by Friedrich Miesher from a lymphatic cell. He called this molecule "nuclein" and later isolated from a variety of other cells. He discovers its composition to be of hyrogen, oxygen, nitrogen and phosphorus.
Nucleotides are discovered by Albrech Kossel in 1881. A German Organic Chemist, he isolated the nucleic acids and proteins. He concluded there were 5 of these nucleic acids and went on to investigated a few amino acids, namely histidine. He also discovered the histone and other chromosomal modifications for storage.
Patterns are discovered as Erwin Chargaff begins to research the composition of DNA in 1944. In six years, he was able to devise 3 rules of nucleic acid, later known as Chargaff's Rules.
Only a few years after Chagaff's discovery, in 1953, James D. Watson and Francis Crick describe the double helix nature of DNA. Published in an article of "Molecular structure of Nucleic Acids", they detail this idea with research stolen from Rosalind Franklin.
Watson and Crick
Watson is depicted on the right, Crick on left. They were award a nobel price and Rosalind Franklin was left in the dark until modern time (find citation for this)
Rosalind's Defraction
Using nuclear markers, (citation as well)
Watson and Crick
Watson is depicted on the right, Crick on left. They were award a nobel price and Rosalind Franklin was left in the dark until modern time (find citation for this)
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Also around the same time, karyotyping became used in the mid-1950s. These mapped the 46 chromosomes of humans and allowed genetic adnormalities to be seen in these chromosomes.
Karyotype 1
Karyotype 2
Karyotype 3
Karyotype 1
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There are 23 pairs of chromosomes but the 23rd chromosome (the sex chromsomes) are sometimes divided into two groups depending on the gender of the person of interest. Two X's are a female while one X and one Y are male
A major task, the Human Genome Project is started. This undertaking to record the entire human genetic code, it began in 1990 and ended 13 years later in 2003. The first chromosome to be decoded was chromsome 22 in 1993. However decoded, understanding it is a different story.
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