Year(s)

Discovery

1666

Robert Hooke coins the term "cell" to describe chambers in cork

1632-1723

Anton van Leeunhoek perfects techniques for grinding microscope lens, reports findings to Royal Academy of Science - London

1838

Mathias Schleiden - "All plants are made of cells."

1839

Theodor Schwann - "All animals are made of cells."

1858

Rudolf Virchow - "All living cells are derived from previously existing cells."

1856

Gregor Mendel publishes work on genetics of pea plants.

1901

Thomas Hunt Morgan "rediscovers" Gregor Mendel's work while exploring the genetics of fruit flies.

Early 1970's

Scientists attending a conference in Hawaii work out procedure for using restriction endonucleases from bacteria to move genes from one cell (organism) to another.

Early 1980's

Scientists mentioned above earn Nobel prize.

1986

Associate Degree programs for "recombinant DNA technologists" are advertised in Science.

Early 1990's

Human Genome Project is initiated, a project to sequence all genes of humans.

2000

Human Genome map is simultaneously published in Science and Nature.