Despite its prominence, the field of molecular biology is a “young” area of science. Originating in the 1930s and 40s, it really began to gain momentum in the 1950s and 60s. In 1953, through the work of Rosalind Franklin, Maurice Wilkins, James Watson and Francis Crick, we gained knowledge of the structure of the DNA double helix. We really were ‘zooming’ right in to cells and observing things at a molecular level. Technology developed over the years and methods to analyse this nucleic acid material was optimised, e.g. Southern Blotting, Polymerase Chain Reaction (PCR), DNA sequencing and DNA microarrays. Understanding the genetic processes that occur in the cell has led to advances in the field of molecular biology. A good example would be the identification of a reverse-transcribing enzyme in some viruses leading to the isolation of the enzyme for use in a technique known as reverse-transcription PCR, which allows us to determine if a particular gene is on/off. All in all, molecular biology is an area used in every aspect of science these days. For example, recombinant DNA technology has become the foundation for the biopharmaceutical industry. It is a field of science that is critical to your development as a scientist. So I hope you enjoy this exciting and dynamic module.
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Some textbooks I would advise you to locate in the library and utilise in your research and study would be the following:
However, please be aware that DkIT has numerous eBooks available online - you can access by logging in to your library account. |
From the beginning of your studies in any class, you are in control of some extremely important aspects of your learning experience - your attendance and engagement in class! So working hard at these aspects can really help you in understanding any subject.