BelIn this lesson you will learn about the work of Frederick Griffith, Alfred Hershey and Martha Chase that provided the first evidence for DNA being the molecule of heredity. You will also learn about James Watson and Francis Crick’s model of the DNA molecule.
By the end of this lesson, students should be able to:
- describe, on the basis of research, some of the historical scientific contributions that have advanced our understanding of molecular genetics (e.g. discoveries made by Frederick Griffith, Watson and Crick, Hersey and Chase)
- explain how the work of Rosalind Franklin contributed to Watson and Crick’s double helix model of DNA.
- explain in detail the various levels of chromatin packing in both prokaryotic and eukaryotic cells and the roles of histones.
- distinguish between heterochromatin and euchromatin.
Let’s start by examining the works of Griffith, Hershey and Chase that provided evidence for DNA being the molecule of heredity. Watch the video lesson below and take notes about the details and rational of their experiments.
Below is a video lesson on the development of the Double Helix Model of the DNA by Watson and Crick. Watch it and take notes.
Below is a lesson on the structure, organziation and packing of DNA in both prokaryotic and eukaryotic cells.