17. The 150th Anniversary of the DNA Discovery (April 25th)
This anniversary is rich in history and of extreme importance for humanity. Suppose it wasn’t for it; so many discoveries about the evolution of the human race. When Johann Friedrich Miescher went to medical school and started his research, biochemistry was still very young with little understanding. So when Miesher started studying white blood cells, he soon found a substance in the cell nucleus that stood out from the proteins and lipids in the rest of the cell. He called it a nucleim, which scientists later identified as DNA. Even after this significant discovery, it wasn’t until 1869 when chemist Felix Hoppe-Seyler repeated the experiments himself to make sure they were right and published their findings in 1871.
When Miescher discovered the nuclelin, he knew that this was bigger and more important than a protein, without knowing that he found the carrier of heredity. One hundred years after Miescher’s birth, scientists established that the discovery of DNA was the substance of genes. After completing the Human Genome Project in 2003, and James Watson and Francis Crick’s discovery of the DNA’s double helix in 1953, April 25th became DNA day officially to celebrate all the human achievements. It’s a day where students and the general public have a way to learn and appreciate all the advances in genomic research and explore its importance in our lives.