THE DISCOVERY of the structure of DNA, our genetic blueprint, stands out as one of the most important scientific advances of the 20th century. The five decades of research into DNA that followed has reached into all aspects of our lives, from medical treatments and the development of new drugs to food production and human evolution. No other technology has revealed more about the hidden biological workings of humankind and all other species. For DNA is universal, all life on earth is traced out in the double-helix shape taken by the DNA molecule.
The discovery in late February 1953 is credited to James Watson and Francis Crick, colleagues at the Cavendish Laboratory, Cambridge. But there were other players in the discovery. These two shared a Nobel Prize in 1962 with Maurice Wilkins of Kings College London who was credited with providing an X-ray image of DNA, allowing Watson to make a creative leap and reveal its chemical structure. Left out of the prize was Rosalind Franklin, the woman who actually took the X-ray image.
What was never in dispute, however, was the singularly remarkable importance of the discovery. It answered a question that for decades had plagued scientists — how did DNA pass on heritable traits, and with such accuracy. The primary answer was simplicity, so much so that by revealing the chemical structure, Watson and Crick immediately explained how the genetic code passed on its information.
A wealth of biological information has flowed from this stunning discovery. We now understand the biological processes that explain how traits are passed on, but more importantly, our ability to detail each rung along the DNA ladder tells us when there have been unexpected changes in their order. These changes can bring on diseases such as cancer. And by recognising certain combinations we can alert a prospective parent that they are at risk of passing on an inheritable disorder.
Ireland is at the forefront of genetic research with our universities all engaged in it. Perhaps premier among them is Trinity College Dublin, which this week celebrates the 50th anniversary of the founding of its department of genetics. Trinity has many research accomplishments in genetics behind it and ranked seventh in the world last year in terms of citations, references by others, to research findings made there. Guest of honour at its celebrations is James Watson who in a special supplement with today's Irish Times, lauds Trinity's role in advancing genetic science.