The First Synthesis

Abstract

The fascinating, convoluted history of the search for explanations of the nature of heredity began with vague, unspecified notions of unseen forces directing the reproduction and development of living things. It has evolved into the current intensive, specific, and highly technical analysis of the precise function and molecular details of the gene. A simple chronological rendering of names and discoveries cannot adequately convey either the paradigmatic nature of that search within the living world or the role of scientists in helping to shape those insights.