It turns out that this topic has been discussed several times on the Internet. Did Watson and Crick Steal the Double Helix Idea from Rosalind Franklin?

Yanush Vishnevsky, about whom there was a post below, described this case as follows.

Rosalind Franklin, a graduate of the famous Cambridge, using the then completely new X-ray crystallography technique in the early fifties, discovered that DNA is a double helix resembling a ladder, and its threads are phosphates. Director of her institute, John Randall, presented the results of the research, as well as the unpublished considerations of his young employee, at a narrow seminar in which three people attended, including James Watson and Francis Crick. Shortly after that workshop, in March 1953, Watson and Crick published a famous article that perfectly describes the structure of the DNA double helix.

That March, modern genetics began. The world was numb with admiration. But not all. While Watson and Crick were handing out interviews, proudly making history and reserving places in encyclopedias, Rosalind Franklin suffered in silence. She did not protest and never publicly “tell how she was feeling.

In 1958, Rosalind Franklin fell ill with cancer, although she was in good health and had no genetic prerequisites for this disease, and died a few weeks later.

She was thirty-seven years old.

In 1962, Watson and Crick received the Nobel Prize in Stockholm.

People argue about whether Franklin would have been awarded the Nobel Prize if she had survived to this day.

And it seems to me that the story is quite ordinary. And for our time. It is clear that Crick and Watson took the main thing from Franklin - priority. Questioned her superiority. Which discoverer is more important - graduate student or professor? The question is rhetorical. And in those days, it was generally difficult for a woman to object to men ..

Why does Rosalind Franklin get cancer? From emotional experiences or from working too much with x-rays? This, too, we do not know.

I think these two factors played the same role.

In short, and here the history of the discovery was not without scandal. Honestly, sorry. I didn't know anything about Rosalind Franklin. I remember the photographs of Watson and Crick from childhood. My dad poked everything in my nose books "about science." I remember their smiling insolent faces. But he didn’t say anything about Rosalind. It's a pity. After all, you had to poke in and in her photo, too, and say: “But this aunt did the wrong thing. She did not fight. She was shy. And so she died. ”And you, girl, remember this and don’t do it.

Double fertilization

the reproductive process in angiosperms in which both the egg and the central cell of the embryo sac are fertilized (See. Germ embryo). Before. discovered by the Russian scientist S. G. Navashin in 1898 on 2 species of plants - lilies (Lilium martagon) and hazel grouse (Fritillaria orientalis). In D. about. Both sperm are introduced, introduced into the embryo sac by a pollen tube; the nucleus of one sperm (see Sperm) merges with the nucleus of the egg, the nucleus of the second with the polar nuclei or with the secondary nucleus of the embryo sac. An embryo develops from a fertilized egg ,   from the central cell - Endosperm. In embryo sacs with a three-cell egg apparatus, the contents of the pollen tube usually spill out into one of the synergies (See Synergies) ,   which at the same time collapses (the remains of the synergid core and the vegetative core of the pollen tube are visible in it); the second synergide subsequently dies. Then, both sperm together with the altered cytoplasm of the pollen tube move into the slit-like gap between the egg and the central cell. Then the sperm separate: one penetrates the egg and comes into contact with its nucleus, the other penetrates the central cell, where it comes into contact with the secondary nucleus or with one, and sometimes with both polar nuclei. Sperm lose their cytoplasm even in the pollen tube or when they enter the germinal sac; sometimes sperm in the form of unchanged cells are also observed in the embryo sac.

When D. about. the nuclei of the embryo sac are in interphase (see Interphase) and are usually much larger than the nuclei of sperm, the shape and condition of which can erupt. In scherda and some other complex-bearing sperm nuclei, they look like double twisted or crimped chromatin filaments, in many plants they are elongated, sometimes crimped, more or less chromatized, without nucleoli; sperm are usually rounded interphase nuclei with nucleoli, sometimes not differing in structure from female nuclei.

By the nature of the union of male and female nuclei, it was proposed (E. N. Gerasimova-Navashina) to distinguish two types of D. o.: premitotic - the sperm nucleus is immersed in the female nucleus, its chromosomes are despiralized; the unification of the chromosome sets of both nuclei occurs in interphase (in the zygote); postmitotic - male and female nuclei, retaining their shells, enter prophase (see. Prophase) ,   at the end of which their unification begins; interphase nuclei containing chromosome sets of both nuclei are formed only after the first mitotic division of the zygote. When D. about. 2 haploid nuclei fuse in the egg; therefore, the nucleus of the zygote is diploid. The number of chromosomes in the nuclei of the endosperm depends on the number of polar nuclei in the central cell and on their ploidy (See. Ploidy) ;   in most angiosperms, 2 haploid polar nuclei and endosperm in them are triploid. Corollary D. about. - Ksenia -   manifestation of dominant signs of the endosperm of the paternal plant in the endosperm of hybrid seeds. If several pollen tubes penetrate into the embryo sac, the sperm of the first of them participate in D. o., the sperm of the rest degenerate. Cases of dyspermia, i.e., fertilization of an egg by two sperm, are very rare.

Lit .:   Navashin S.G., Elect. proceedings, t. 1, M.-L., 1951; Mageshwar and P., Angiosperm Embryology, trans. from English., M., 1954; Poddubnaya Arnoldi V. A., General embryology of angiosperms, M., 1964; Steffen K., Fertilisation, in the book: Maheshwari P. (ed.). Recent advances in the embryology of angiosperms, Delhi, 1963.

I. D. Romanov.

Great Soviet Encyclopedia. - M .: Soviet Encyclopedia. 1969-1978 .

See what "Double Fertilization" is in other dictionaries:

Only characteristic of flowering plants. In double fertilization, one of the sperm merges with the egg, and the second with the central cell of the embryo sac. An embryo develops from a fertilized egg, a secondary one from a central cell ... ... Big Encyclopedic Dictionary

A type of genital process characteristic only of flowering plants. Discovered in 1898 by S. G. Navashin at Liliaceae. Before. lies in the fact that when the seed is formed, not only the egg is fertilized, but also the center, the nucleus of the embryo sac. From the zygote ... ...

double fertilization   - The type of sexual process characteristic of flowering plants: one of the sperm fertilizes the egg, and the other (from the same pollen tube) fertilizes the central nucleus of the embryo sac, as a result of the first process, a diploid ... Technical Translator Reference

Only characteristic of flowering plants. In double fertilization, one of the sperm merges with the egg, and the second with the central cell of the embryo sac. An embryo develops from a fertilized egg, a secondary one from a central cell ... ... encyclopedic Dictionary

Double fertilization double fertilization. Type of sexual process characteristic of flowering plants: one of the sperm fertilizes the egg, and the other (from the same pollen tube ) fertilizes the central core ... ... Molecular biology and genetics. Explanatory dictionary.

It is peculiar only to flowering rheniums. When D. about. one of the sperm merges with the egg, and the second with the center. germ cell cell. An embryo develops from a fertilized egg, from the center. cells of the secondary endosperm of the seed containing ... ... Natural History. encyclopedic Dictionary

double fertilization   - The fertilization process that occurs in angiosperms, in which both sperm are formed. One of them merges with the egg, the second - with the central diploid cell of the embryo sac. Opened by S. G. Navashin in ... ... Plant anatomy and morphology

DOUBLE FERTILIZATION   - the sexual process in angiosperms, consisting in the fusion of one male gamete with a pollen tube (sperm) with the egg cell of the embryo sac, and the second male gamete with the secondary nucleus of the embryo sac ... Dictionary of Botanical Terms

double fertilization by navigator   - PLANT EMBRYOLOGY DOUBLE FERTILIZATION BY A NAVOCH - egg fusion and sperm with the formation of a zygote (2p) and the simultaneous fusion of another sperm and a double nucleus with the formation of the primary endosperm nucleus (3p). A characteristic feature of all ... General Embryology: Terminological Dictionary

Singamia, the fusion of the male sex cell (sperm, sperm) with the female (egg, egg), leading to the formation of a zygote, the edge gives rise to a new organism. Animal O. is preceded by insemination. In the process of O., egg activation is carried out, ... ... Biological Encyclopedic Dictionary

“Leather Lessons” - Subject: Biology Project participants: 8th grade students. The mechanism and methods of hardening. To teach to use different sources of information. The project is designed for students in grades 8 and is implemented in the subject areas of biology and obzh. Creative name of the project: Everyday clothes. Is fashionable always useful?

"Garden dormouse" - Pointed muzzle. The ears are relatively large, without brushes. It eats small rodents, chicks and eggs of birds. The nest is spherical, located in hollows or tree branches. It is found in deciduous forests and old gardens in most of Europe. Active at dusk and at night, feed on trees, less often on the ground. Sad? Saya dormouse is a species of rodents in the Sonevidae family.

"Primates" - Suborders and families of Wet-nosed (Strepsirrhini). The classification of primates has undergone significant changes. The most ancient primates, most likely, settled from Asia. Classification. Origin and immediate family. Suborders and families Dry-nosed. Practical value. General characteristics.

"Theories of the emergence of the living" - An additional question. Performance history. The work of judges. Lesson structure. Scheme of transition of chemical evolution. Matter. Debate. History of ideas about the origin of life. Stage of the lesson. Hypothesis of the origin of life. Rules of the game. Modern hypotheses. Rules of judicial ethics. Nebula. Theories of Origin.

"Escape Biology" - Intercl. Sedentary. Durable Zool ... mushrooms Anat ... bact - prokar. Crown formation. The science. Water. Kletk and. Ust. Chlorophyll. Plastids LEIKO ... Young green. Form. Core. Sheet. I. The reproductive organ. A flower is a modified shoot. Rust Bot ... eukar alive. Kidney - an offset sheet. Poch. Straight. Sample Cover. Cirrus. COMPOSITION water min. salts protein fat carbohydrate nucle. to you.

"Basic concepts of genetics" - What are the genotypes of all individuals? Formulate conclusions by adding sentences: Genetics: the history of the development of science. Fastening. Locus - the location of the gene in the chromosomes. Genesis - origin) - the science of heredity and variability of organisms. Studying genetics, I want _____________. Introduce the logic of scientific discovery.

Ending. See No. 20, 21, 22/2002

Biology lessons in 10 (11) class

Appendix 1. Codogram for lesson 6

Appendix 2. Card for work at the board

Appendix 3. Computer Testing

“Double fertilization of flowering plants”

Test 1   How many ovules can be in a pistil?

1. Always alone.
   2. Usually equal to the number of seeds.
   3. Usually equal to the number of fruits.
   4. Equal to the number of pistils.

Test 2   A flower is an organ of asexual and sexual reproduction. What is asexual reproduction manifested in?

1. In the formation of seeds.
   2. In the formation of fruits.
   3. In the formation of a dispute.
   4. In the formation of gametes.

Test 3   What parts of the flower form the perianth?

1. A cup of sepals.
   2. Corolla made of petals.
   3. Cup and whisk.
   4. Calyx, corolla, androecium and gynoecium.

Test 4.   What is the male gametophyte of flowering plants represented?

1. A set of stamens.
   2. A pollen bag.
   3. Microspore.
   4. Pollen grain.

Test 5.   What is the female gametophyte of flowering plants represented?

1. Pestle.
   2. The ovary of the pestle.
   3. Ovule.
   4. The germinal bag.

Test 6.What is formed from a fertilized egg?

1. Seed.
   2. The fruit.
   3. The germ of the seed.
   4. Endosperm.

Test 7.   What is formed from a fertilized central cell?

1. The fruit.
   2. Seed.
   3. The germ of the seed.
   4. Endosperm.

Test 8.   What is formed from integuments?

1. Pericarp.
   2. Seed peel.
   3. Endosperm.
   4. Cotyledons.

Test 9. What is pericarp made of?

1. From integuments.
   2. From the walls of the ovary.
   3. From the pestle.
   4. From the receptacle.

Test 10.   Who discovered double fertilization?

1. S.G. Navashin.
   2. I.V. Michurin.
   3. N.I. Vavilov.
   4. G. Mendel.

Lesson 7. Test in the section “Reproduction and development”

Tasks:summarize factual material from general biological and evolutionary positions, check the assimilation of specific factual material, deepen and expand students' knowledge.

Demonstration Material:   films, student essays, newspapers, newsletters.

DURING THE CLASSES

Reiteration.   Written verification work (30 min).

Tests and questions for offset are posted in a week. The topics of abstracts, newspapers are offered.

On the standings will be the same tests and questions, but in a different order. The teacher distributes leaflets with questions to each table, the class is divided into two options, each option is offered 10 tests (1–10, 11–20, 21–30, 31–40) and one theoretical question. The next class will have other tests and other theoretical questions.

Set-off questions

Option 1

1. What is the name of a set of chromosomes characteristic of a species?
   2. What is the set of chromosomes in somatic and germ cells?
   3. How many chromosomes and DNA are in different periods of interphase?
   4. What are the paired, identical chromosomes of a somatic cell called?
   5. What are the primary constriction and the ends of the chromosome?
   6. How many chromosomes and DNA are there in the cell before mitosis and at the end of mitosis?
   7. How many chromosomes and DNA are in prophase, metaphase and anaphase of mitosis?
   8. What is the meaning of meiosis?
   9. What are the first and second divisions of meiosis called?
   10. What processes occur in the cell in prophase I of meiosis?
   11. How many chromosomes and DNA before meiosis, after the first and second divisions?
   12. What is the set of chromosomes and DNA in metaphase I and anaphase I of meiosis?


   15. When does recombination of genetic material occur in meiosis?
   16. List the phases of meiosis during which chromosomes are two-chromatid.

   18. What is the name of fission, in which multiple fission of the nucleus occurs and several individuals are formed (in trypanosomes, malarial plasmodium)?
   19. What is characteristic of the genotypes of daughter individuals compared with the mother when sexless reproduction?
   20. What set of chromosomes do spores have?
   21. What are the mammalian egg shells called?
   22. When does oogenesis in humans begin?
   23. What is the name of reproduction, in which the development of a new organism comes from an unfertilized egg?
24. What is the set of chromosomes of gametogonies, gametocytes of the 1st order, gametocytes of the 2nd order?
   25. What is formed after spermatogenesis from one spermatocyte?
   26. What is formed after oogenesis from one oocyte?
   27. Which organisms have external fertilization?
   28. What are the male and female gametophytes of flowering plants represented?
   29. What is formed from integuments and the central cell of the embryo sac?
   30. What is pericarp formed from?
   31. Who discovered double fertilization?
   32. What are the periods of ontogenesis of animals?
   33. What are the periods of embryogenesis of animals?
   34. What is formed as a result of zygote fragmentation?
   35. What is the name of the two-layer lancelet embryo?
   36. What is formed from the ectoderm, endoderm and mesoderm of the neurula?
   37. From which germ layers do the spine, epidermis, and lungs form?
   38. Which animals are secondary-rotory?
   39. What are the three animals with direct postembryonic development.
   40. Name three animals with indirect postembryonic development.

Theoretical questions

1. Mitotic cell cycle.
   2. Draw and explain the behavior of a pair of homologous chromosomes in prophase, metaphase, anaphase and telophase of the first meiotic division.

Option 2

1. What is formed after spermatogenesis from one spermatocyte?
   2. What animals are secondary-rotory?
   3. What is formed from integuments and the central cell of the embryo sac?
   4. What is the name of the set of chromosomes characteristic of the species?
   5. How many chromosomes and DNA are in different periods of interphase?
   6. How many chromosomes and DNA are in prophase, metaphase and anaphase of mitosis?
   7. What is the name of the two-layer lancelet embryo?
   8. What is the meaning of meiosis?
   9. What processes occur in the cell in prophase I of meiosis?
   10. How many chromosomes and DNA before meiosis, after the first and second division?
   11. What is the set of chromosomes and DNA in metaphase I and anaphase I of meiosis?
   12. What is pericarp made of?
   13. What is characteristic of the interphase between the first and second divisions of meiosis?
   14. What is the set of chromosomes and DNA in metaphase II and anaphase II of meiosis?
   15. What is formed after oogenesis from one oocyte?
   16. What are the paired, identical chromosomes of a somatic cell called?
   17. What is characteristic of asexual reproduction?
   18. What are the periods of embryogenesis of animals?
   19. How many chromosomes and DNA are there in the cell before mitosis and at the end of mitosis?
20. What is the name of division, in which there is a multiple division of the nucleus and several individuals are formed (in trypanosomes, malarial plasmodium)?
   21. What is characteristic of the genotypes of daughter individuals compared to the maternal during asexual reproduction?
   22. From which germ layers does the spine, epidermis and lungs form?
   23. What set of chromosomes do spores have?
   24. What are the mammalian egg shells called?
   25. What are the primary constriction and the ends of the chromosome?
   26. When does oogenesis in humans begin?
   27. Name three animals with indirect postembryonic development.
   28. What is the name of reproduction, in which the development of a new organism comes from an unfertilized egg?
   29. What is the set of chromosomes of gametogonies, gametocytes of the 1st order, gametocytes of the 2nd order?
   30. What is the set of chromosomes in somatic and germ cells?
   31. Which organisms have external fertilization?
   32. What are the male and female gametophytes of flowering plants represented?
   33. Who discovered double fertilization?
   34. What are the periods of ontogenesis of animals?
   35. List the phases of meiosis during which the chromosomes are two-chromatid.
   36. What is formed as a result of crushing zygotes?
   37. What are the first and second divisions of meiosis called?
   38. What is formed from the ectoderm, endoderm and mesoderm of the neurula?
   39. When does recombination of genetic material occur in meiosis?
   40. Name three animals with direct postembryonic development.

Theoretical questions

1. Mitotic cell cycle.
   2. Draw and explain the behavior of a pair of homologous chromosomes in prophase, metaphase, anaphase and telophase of the first meiotic division.
   3. Asexual reproduction and its forms.
   4. Ovum, sperm. Gametogenesis
   5. Types of ontogenesis. Stages of embryogenesis.
   6. The formation of spores and gametes in flowering plants. Double fertilization.

Watching films, listening to essays in order to deepen knowledge on this section (10 min).

Topics for abstracts:   “Natural and artificial parthenogenesis”, “Cloning”, “Hermaphroditism”, “The role of hormones in the life of organisms”, “Aging and immortality”.

Job Answers

Assignment on the topic "Mitosis". Test 1 2. Test 2 1. Test 3 3. Test 4. 2. Test 5. 2. Test 6. 3. * Test 7. 1, 2. Test 8. 3. Test 9. 3. * Test 10. 2, 3, 4, 5.

Task on the topic "Meiosis." Test 1 1. Test 2 2. Test 3 1. * Test 4. 1, 2, 3. Test 5. 7. * Test 6. 4, 5, 6. Test 7. 8, Test 8. 8. * Test 9. 1, 3, 7. Test 10.1.

Assignment on the topic "Asexual and sexual reproduction." Test 1 8. Test 2 4. Test 3 6. Test 4. 7. Test 5. 3. * Test 6. 1, 3. Test 7. 2. * Test 8. 2, 3, 4. * Test 9. 1, 2, 3. Test 10. 4.

Task on the topic "Gametogenesis. Fertilization". Test 1 1. Test 2 3. Test 3 4. Test 4. 1. Test 5. 4. Test 6. 1. Test 7. 3. Test 8. 2. * Test 9. 1, 2. * Test 10. 1, 2, 3.

Task on the topic "Double fertilization of flowering plants." Test 12. Test 2 3. Test 3 3. Test 4. 1. Test 5. 4. Test 6. 3. Test 7.4. Test 8. 2. Test 9. 2. Test 10. 1.

Nucleic acids were first discovered in the nucleus of human cells by the Swiss researcher Friedrich Miescher in 1869. At the beginning of the 20th century, biologists and biochemists managed to find out the structure and basic properties of the cell. It was found that one of the nucleic acids, DNA, is an extremely large molecule consisting of structural units called nucleotides, each of which contains nitrogenous bases.

Maurice Wilkins and Rosalyn Franklin, scientists from the University of Cambridge, performed an X-ray analysis of DNA molecules and showed that they are a double spiral resembling a spiral staircase. The data they obtained led the American biochemist James Watson to the idea of \u200b\u200binvestigating the chemical structure of nucleic acids. The National Society for the Study of Infantile Paralysis has allocated a subsidy. In October 1951, at the Cavendish Laboratory of the University of Cambridge, Watson began researching the spatial structure of DNA together with John C. Kendrew and Francis Crick, a physicist who was interested in biology and was writing his doctoral dissertation.

Watson and Crick knew that there are two types of nucleic acids - deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA) and ribonucleic acid (RNA), each of which consists of a monosaccharide of the pentose group, phosphate and four nitrous bases: adenine, thymine (uracil in RNA), guanine and cytosine. Over the next eight months, Watson and Crick summarized the results with those already available, and in February 1953 reported on the structure of DNA. A month later, they created a three-dimensional model of a DNA molecule made of balls, pieces of cardboard and wire.

According to the Crick-Watson model, DNA is a double helix consisting of two deoxyribose phosphate chains connected by base pairs in a manner similar to stair steps. Through hydrogen bonds, adenine combines with thymine, and guanine with cytosine. Using this model, it was possible to trace the replication of the DNA molecule itself. According to Watson and Crick, the two parts of the DNA molecule are separated from each other in places of hydrogen bonds, which is very similar to unzipping a zipper. From each half of the former molecule, a new DNA molecule is synthesized. The base sequence functions as a template, or sample, for the formation of new DNA molecules. The discovery of the chemical structure of DNA has been evaluated worldwide as one of the most outstanding biological discoveries of the century.

DNA plays an extremely important role, necessary both for maintaining and for reproducing life. Firstly, it is the storage of hereditary information, which is enclosed in the nucleotide sequence of one of its chains. The smallest unit of genetic information after a nucleotide is three consecutive nucleotides - a triplet. The triplets located one after another, which determine the structure of one chain, are the so-called gene. The second function of DNA is the transmission of hereditary information from generation to generation. DNA is involved as a matrix in the process of transferring genetic information from the nucleus to the cytoplasm to the site of protein synthesis.

Watson, Crick, and Wilkins received the 1962 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine "for discoveries in the field of the molecular structure of nucleic acids and for determining their role in the transmission of information in living matter." In a speech at a presentation, A.V. Engstrom of the Karolinska Institute described DNA as “a polymer composed of several types of building blocks - monosaccharide, phosphate and nitrogen bases ... Monosaccharide and phosphate are repeating elements of a giant DNA molecule, in addition, it contains four type of nitrogenous bases. The discovery is the order of the spatial connection of these building blocks. ”

What has changed this discovery in our lives over the past 50-odd years?

In 1969, scientists first synthesized an artificial enzyme, in 1971 - an artificial gene. At the end of the 20th century, the creation of fully artificial microorganisms became possible. So, in the laboratories, artificial bacteria were created that produce unusual amino acids for them, as well as viable "synthetic" viruses. Work is underway to create more complex artificial organisms - plants and animals.

The study of the structure and biochemistry of DNA led to the creation of methods for modifying the genome and cloning. In 1980, the first patent was issued for experiments with mammalian genes, and a year later a transgenic mouse with an artificially modified genome was created. In 1996, the first cloned mammal was born - Dolly the sheep, then cloned mice, rats, cows and monkeys joined her.

In 2002, the Human Genome project was successfully completed, during which a complete genetic map of human cells was created. And in the same year, human cloning attempts began, although not one of them has been completed so far (at least there are no scientific data on successful human cloning).

Back in 1978, insulin was created, almost completely identical to human, and then its gene was introduced into the genome of bacteria that turned into an “insulin factory”. In 1990, the first method of gene therapy was tested, which allowed to save the life of a four-year-old girl suffering from a severe immune disorder. Now, the genetic mechanisms of the development of various diseases, from cancer to arthritis, are in full swing and the search for methods to correct the genetic "errors" that cause them In total, more than 350 drugs and vaccines are used in clinical practice, the creation of which uses genetic engineering.

DNA analysis has found widespread use even in forensics. It is used during paternity trials (by the way, this method became a real gift for musicians, politicians and actors who were forced to prove in court their innocence in the birth of children attributed to them), as well as to identify the offender. It is worth noting that James Watson himself spoke about this possibility of using DNA, who proposed creating a database that would include the personal DNA structures of all the inhabitants of the planet, which would speed up the process of identifying criminals and their victims.

Using DNA, you can "catch" not only criminals, but also, for example, drugs or biological weapons. American forensics use a plant-drug DNA structure control system to create a database of all varieties of marijuana. This database will allow you to track the source of almost any drug sample. In the near future, in the USA, methods of detecting biological attacks based on DNA analysis will be used - it is planned to install special sensors in public places that will automatically "catch" dangerous microorganisms from the air and give a warning signal.

In 1982, the first successful modification of the plant genome was carried out. And five years later, the first agricultural plants with a modified genome appeared on the fields (these were tomatoes resistant to viral diseases).

Now, with the help of genetic engineering, almost all food products are grown, especially crops such as soy and corn. Since 1996, when the commercial use of genetically modified products began, the total area of \u200b\u200btheir crops increased by 50 times. The total cultivated area under transgenic crops in the world in 2005 amounted to 90 million hectares. True, the governments of many countries have banned the cultivation and import of such products, as a number of studies have shown that they can be dangerous to human health (allergies, reproductive damage, etc.).

The possibility of studying the structure of DNA has given a new impetus to historical research. For example, the remains of Nicholas II and his family were identified, and some historical gossip was also confirmed and refuted (in particular, it was proved that one of the founders of the United States, Thomas Jefferson, had illegitimate children from a black slave).

Using DNA analysis, it was possible to trace the origin of both people and entire nations. For example, it was shown that the genes of the Japanese are almost identical to the genes of one of the tribes of Central America. And black Americans for only $ 349 can find out from which region of Africa and even from what tribe their ancestors came from slave ships many years ago.

What will give us DNA in the near future?

Obviously, this will be the cloning of a person and his organs, which will solve the problem of lack of donor hearts and lungs for transplantation. New medicines will appear, thanks to which incurable genetic diseases will become a thing of the past ...