Skip to main content

NIH

Deciphering the Genetic Code
Society: ACSMain Category: ChemicalSub Category: Frontiers of KnowledgeEra: 1960-1969DateCreated: 1961NIH Mark O. Hatfield Clinical Research CtrBethesdaState: MDZip: 20892Country: USAWebsite: https://www.acs.org/content/acs/en/education/whatischemistry/landmarks/geneticcode.htmlCreator: Nirenberg, Marshall

In 1961, in the National Institutes of Health Headquarters (Bethesda, MD), Marshall Nirenberg and Heinrich Matthaei discovered the key to breaking the genetic code when they conducted an experiment using a synthetic RNA chain of multiple units of uracil to instruct a chain of amino acids to add phenylalanine. The uracil (poly-U) served as a messenger directing protein synthesis. This experiment demonstrated that messenger RNA transcribes genetic information from DNA, regulating the assembly of amino acids into complex proteins.

YearAdded:
1997
Image Credit: Courtesy Wikipedia/Infocan (CC BY-SA 3.0)Image Caption: Deciphering the Genetic CodeEra_date_from: 1961
Subscribe to NIH

Innovations

Deciphering the Genetic Code

In 1961, in the National Institutes of Health Headquarters (Bethesda, MD), Marshall Nirenberg and Heinrich Matthaei discovered the key to breaking the genetic code when they conducted an experiment using a synthetic RNA chain of multiple units of uracil to instruct a chain of amino acids to add…

Read More

We hope you enjoyed this essay.

Please support America's only magazine of the history of engineering and innovation, and the volunteers that sustain it with a donation to Invention & Technology.

Donate

Stay informed - subscribe to our newsletter.
The subscriber's email address.