⏰ when
When was the genetic code cracked?
Quick Answer
The genetic code was largely deciphered in the early 1960s, with Marshall Nirenberg's breakthrough coming in 1961. By 1966, most codons had been assigned.
The Full Story
Marshall Nirenberg and Heinrich Matthaei made the first key breakthrough in 1961 by showing that the RNA sequence poly-U directed the production of phenylalanine. Over the next several years, Nirenberg, Har Gobind Khorana, Robert Holley, and others worked out how codons specify amino acids. By 1966, the main features of the genetic code were established. This achievement explained how information in DNA and RNA is translated into proteins.
Key Facts
1.First breakthrough in 1961
2.Most of the code worked out by 1966
3.Marshall Nirenberg shared the 1968 Nobel Prize
YouTube Angle
Suggested video title for this topic:
"How scientists learned to read the language of life"
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