Definiton Of Genetic Engineering And History Analysis Essay Example

sterile offspring that were juicier and larger. Despite the absence of seeds, these mutated varieties could still be grown due to cloning. Habitat also played a role in introducing rapid changes in plant composition by enhancing vigor and combining desirable traits. This likely occurred when slightly different plants were co-cultivated by humans, as exemplified by the development of Triticum aestivum—a wheat variety used for baking bread—resulting from two separate habitat events. In 1927, x-rays were intentionally employed to induce mutations in plants. Utilizing x-rays from 1927 to 2007 led to the creation of over 2,540 genetically mutated plant varieties. The history of genetics has witnessed numerous significant discoveries that have greatly contributed to the advancement of genetic engineering. In 1865, Gregory Mendel conducted experiments with pea plants where he observed the concept of genetic inheritance.

(Note: are not displayed here)Mendel's initial evidence for the segregation and independent assortment of hereditary traits was largely ignored for over thirty years. In 1889, Hugo De Varies introduced the term "(pan)gene" to describe the units responsible for inheriting characteristics. William Battens coined the term "genetics" in 1905. Frederick Griffith demonstrated in 1928 that there is a "transforming principle" involved in inheritance, later identified as DNA by Avery, McLeod, and McCarty in 1944.

Edward Laurie Datum and George Wells Beadle developed the central dogma in 1941, stating that genes code for proteins. James Watson and Francis Crick discovered the double helix structure of DNA in 1953. Tools were needed to effectively manipulate DNA and understand its functioning.

In Hamilton Smith's laboratory during the 1970s, restriction enzymes were discovered that allowed precise cutting at specific locations and separation on an electrophoresis gel. This

breakthrough paved the way for advancements in isolating genes from an organism's genome.

Additionally, in 1967, DNA aliases capable of joining fragmented DNA together were discovered. The combination of two enzymes resulted in a technique allowing for cutting and pasting of DNA sequences known as recombinant DNA technology.

Plasmids, which were discovered in 1952, played a crucial role in transferring information between cells and replicating DNA sequences.Frederick Ganger's invention of a DNA sequencing technique in 1977 expanded researchers' access to genetic information. The polymerase chain reaction (PCR) has also played a key role in identifying and isolating genetic material.