A Brief History and Practical Applications in DNA Extraction

Chemical Education

Abstract

In the late 1860s, DNA was first identified by the Swiss physician and biochemist Friedrich Miescher. Since this time, we have solved its structure, learned how DNA divides in our cells, and elucidated molecular mechanisms for the transmission of our hereditary information. Fundamental to all these discoveries is the ability to extract our DNA in high purity. In laboratories today, DNA extraction is a routine practice performed from readily available commercial kits. However, in the late 1800s, DNA extraction was an emerging method that required tedious laboratory approaches.