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ID 15671
Friedrich Miescher's laboratory, 1879
Description:
In 1869, a Swiss doctor, Friedrich Miescher, isolated a new chemical substance. Miescher was interested in cells, which were visible through a new invention, the microscope. As a doctor, Miescher had a ready supply of white blood cells, from the pus-filled bandages at the hospital where he worked. Miescher added some simple chemicals to these cells and isolated a white precipitate he called "nuclein." Miescher assumed, correctly, that the precipitate was from the large nuclei of the white blood cells.
Although not recognized at the time, Miescher had isolated the first crude extract of DNA.
Transcript:
Friedrich Miescher's laboratory, 1879.<br><br>
In 1869, a Swiss doctor, Friedrich Miescher, isolated a new chemical substance. Miescher was interested in cells, which were visible through a new invention, the microscope. As a doctor, Miescher had a ready supply of white blood cells, from the pus-filled bandages at the hospital where he worked. Miescher added some simple chemicals to these cells and isolated a white precipitate he called "nuclein." Miescher assumed, correctly, that the precipitate was from the large nuclei of the white blood cells.<br><br>
Although not recognized at the time, Miescher had isolated the first crude extract of DNA.
Keywords:
friedrich miescher nuclein,white blood cells,new invention,chemical substance,precipitate,bandages,nuclei,microscope,dna,chemicals
This work by Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-No Derivative Works 3.0 United States License.Related content:
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