Some Highlights in the History of Biotechnology 6000 B C Sumerians and Babylonians use yeast 1881 Pasteur the inventor of pasteurization

							  Some Highlights in the History of Biotechnology

6000 B.C. Sumerians and Babylonians use yeast                                  1881             Pasteur, the inventor of pasteurization,
          to make beer.                                                                         develops vaccines against bacteria
                                                                                                that cause cholera and anthrax in
4000 B.C. Egyptians bake leavened bread using                                                   chickens and opens new areas in pre-
          yeast.                                                                                ventive medicine. A few years later,
                                                                                                Pasteur develops the first rabies vac
500 B.C. The Chinese use moldy soybean curds                                                    cine, and the first human trials take
         as an antibiotic to treat boils.                                                       place a year later.

100 A.D. Powdered chrysanthemum is used in                                     1920             Plant hybridization becomes wide
         China as an insecticide.                                                               spread in the U.S. and improves agri
                                                                                                cultural productivity.
1673       Leeuwenhoek describes bacteria and
           protozoa and suggests these microor-                                1928             Alexander Fleming discovers
           ganisms play a role in fermentation.                                                 penicillin, the first antibiotic.

1798       Edward Jenner vaccinates a child with                               Fredrick Griffiths observes that a rough type bac-
           cowpox to protect him from the                                      terium obtains a smooth appearance when an
           deadly smallpox disease.                                            unknown “transforming principle” from a smooth
                                                                               type was present. The unknown substance is iden-
1865       Mendel, in his study of peas, discov-                               tified as DNA, 15 years later.1953 James Watson
           ers that traits were transmitted from                               and Francis Crick reveal the three-dimensional
           parents to progeny by discrete, inde-                               structure of DNA.
           pendent units (later called genes). His
           observations laid the groundwork for                                1973             Cohen and Boyer perform the first
           the field of genetics.                                                               successful recombinant DNA experi-
                                                                                                ment, and show that a foreign gene
1871       Ernst Hoppe-Seyler discovers                                                         inserted into bacteria is expressed by
           invertase, an enzyme that splits the                                                 its new host.
           disaccharide sucrose into glucose and
           fructose. Invertase is still used today                             1982             Humulin, Genentech, Inc.'s human
           in making artificial sweeteners.                                                     insulin produced by genetically engi
                                                                                                neered bacteria, is the first biotech
                                                                                                drug to be approved by the Food and
                                                                                                Drug Administration.


           The Vital Science exhibit is produced through the generosity of the Monsanto Fund.
1983   The Polymerase Chain Reaction (PCR)        2000       Arabidopsis thaliana is the first-ever
       technique is conceived. PCR, which                    completed sequence of a plant
       uses heat and enzymes to make                         genome.
       unlimited copies of genes and gene
       fragments, later becomes a major tool      2001       The sequence of the human genome is
         in biotech research and product                      published in Science and Nature,
       development worldwide.                                making it possible for researchers all
                                                             over the world to begin developing
1989   The gene responsible for cystic fibrosis              genetically based treatments for
       is discovered.                                        disease.

1990   The first federally approved gene          2002       Researchers sequence the DNA of
       therapy treatment is performed                        rice, the main food source for two-
       successfully on a 4-year-old girl                     thirds of the world's population. It is
       suffering from an immune disorder.                    the first crop to have its genome
                                                             decoded.
1997   Ian Wilmut reports cloning a sheep,
       named Dolly, using DNA from adult          2003       The Human Genome Project is
       sheep cells.                                          completed, providing information on
                                                             the locations and sequence of human
1998   The first complete animal genome for                  genes on all 46 chromosomes
       the C. elegans worm is sequenced.


HELPFUL WEBSITES ON THE HISTORY OF GENETICS
                                    Biotech Chronicles
                           http://www.accessexcellence.org/AB/BC/

                              History of Genetics timeline
           http://www.accessexcellence.org/AE/AEPC/WWC/1994/geneticstln.html

               Genetic Science Learning Center at the University of Utah
                       http://gslc.genetics.utah.edu/features/dnaday/

                 50th Anniversary celebration in the United Kingdom
                           http://www.dna50.org.uk/index.asp

                                  DNA from the Beginning
                                 http://www.dnaftb.org/dnaftb/

                       National Human Genome Research Institute
                     http://www.genome.gov/page.cfm?pageID=10005139

                  Journey to the Genome (New York Times article)
       http://www.nytimes.com/library/national/science/062700sci-genome-timeline.html

            Celebrating 50 Years of DNA (Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory)
                            http://www.dna50.org/main.htm

                      DNA Interactive (Dolan DNA Learning Center)
                              http://www.dnai.org/index.html