scientists

• Stewart Linn and Werner Arber discovered restriction enzymes in E. coli, which are known as endonucleases
• In 1969, Herbert Boyer isolated the restriction enzyme EcoRI from E. coli. That cleaves the DNA between G and A in the base sequence GAATT.
• In 1970, Howard Temin and Davin Baltimore independently discovered the enzyme reverse transcriptase from retroviruses. This enzyme was used to construct a DNA called complementary DNA (cDNA) from any mRNA
• In, 1972 David Jackson, Robert Symons and Paul Berg successfully generated rDNA molecules.
• In 1973 for the first time S.Cohen and H.Boyer developed a recombinant plasmid (pSC101) which after using as vector replicated well within a bacterial host.
• In, 1975, Edwin Southern developed a method for detection of specific DNA fragments for isolation of a gene from complex mixture of DNA
• Luther Burbank created a disease resistant potato called the Burbank potato. He crossed a disease resistant plant with one that had a large food producing capacity
• In 1749, George Louis Leclerc, known as Count Buffon, a French naturalist, first described descent with modification such as environmental influences, migration, geographical isolation and the struggle for existence. However he was hesitant in sharing his idea to the public.
• In 1795, Georges Cuvier, a vertebrate zoologist and paleontologist proposed the theory of catastrophism.
• In 1830, in contrast to catastrophism, James Hutton and Charles Lyell believed that natural forces now changing the shape of the earth’s surface have been operating in the past much the same way.
• Jean Baptiste de Lamarck was the first biologist to believe that life forms evolve. He proposed the Inheritance of Acquired Characteristics, which is also called Lamarckian Evolution.
• In 1859, Charles Darwin published his book, On the Origin of Species by Means of Natural Selection.
• Charles Darwin however, was not the first to publish his theories involving natural selection. In 1858, Alfred Russel Wallace a British naturalist working in the South Pacific islands of the Malay Archipelago, had submitted his ideas for publication.