The discovery of DNA

A person’s DNA, short for deoxyribonucleic acid, is a molecule that functions as a storehouse of genetic information. The discovery of DNA was a major breakthrough in medical science. While Watson and Crick gave the actual structure of the molecule, the credit of its discovery and identification goes to Friedrich Miescher.

In 1869, Swiss-born Friedrich Miescher isolated ‘nuclein’, the DNA molecule, from cell nuclei using complicated procedures. He proved that this was a new type of organic molecule that derives from the cell nuclei. Miescher also developed the hypotheses that this new type of molecule might be responsible for heredity. However, he rejected the idea of a single type of molecule being able to account for the innumerable variations seen within the species.

The magnitude of Friedrich Miescher’s discovery is felt profoundly in the field of genetics.