Mac Morris Science as a Process: Experiments led to DNA Structure

In the beginning of the study of genetics, Mendel experiments on peas led to his discovery of his three principles. First he came up with his theory of dominant traits versus recessive traits where some traits are hidden but can reappear. Second was his principle of segregation states that each parent donates half of their traits. The third was the principle of independent assortment and all traits are independently inherited. But Mendel didnt know anything about genes or DNA. In 1908, Thomas Hunt Morgan and his students discovered linkage patterns that multiple genes can be on one chromosome and he studied crossing over rates but they believed chromosomes were a combination of protein and DNA. Then in 1928, Griffith saw that bacteria could transform characteristics and saw the heat killed virulent bacteria alone didnt kill mice but when combined with non-virulent bacteria it did kill them. He discovered the genetic information could be transferred from one bacterium to another. In 1944, Avery, McCarty, and MacLeod wanted to see what this transforming factor was so they tested bacteria with different enzymes like proteinase ribonuclease and deoxyribonuclease that destroy proteins RNA and DNA. Whatever cell could no longer function was the one that proved what the transforming factor was and that cell was the one in deoxyribonuclease. But many scientists doubted that DNA could hold genetic information because it had only four variations well amino acids had 20. But Hershey and Chase used radioactive isotopes of sulfur injected by viruses and stirred in a blender so the protein coats were

Mac Morris traced to see if protein or DNA made the bacteria reproduce. They made the milestone of proving DNA was the transforming factor. With that knowledge they wanted to understand the structure. Edwin Chargaff made the first discovery that base pairs of nucleotides consisted in the amount of adenine equals the amount of thymine and the amount of guanine equals the amount of cytosine, which means the amount of purine equals the amount of pyramidine. These rules set up the first step of a structure that explained DNA. Linus Pauling, the man who discovered alpha helixes, figured out that DNA was a helix shape but thought it was a triple not a double helix. So then Maurice Wilkins and Rosalind Franklin knew that the phosphate backbone and sugar had to be on the outside and used x-ray crystallography to take actually photos of the DNA. Franklin couldnt read the x-rays so she called in Watson and Crick who saw the double helix not triple helix. They stole the ideas of Chargaffs base pairs, Paulings helix, and Franklins backbone to create a 3D model of the DNA Double Helix. From 1865 to 1953, bits and pieces of experiments led the Watson and Cricks final structure of the DNA.