Schleiden and Schwann propose that all organisms are
composed of cells, and Virchow declares, “Every cell
arises from a cell.”
1857
Pasteur proposes microbes cause fermentation.
1859
Charles Darwin publishes the theory of evolution by
natural selection. The concept of carefully selecting
parents and culling the variable progeny greatly
influences plant and animal breeders in the late 1800s
despite their ignorance of genetics.
1865
Science of genetics begins: Austrian monk Gregor
Mendel studies garden peas and discovers that genetic
traits are passed from parents to offspring in a predictable
way—the laws of heredity.
1870–1890
Using Darwin’s theory, plant breeders crossbreed cotton,
developing hundreds of varieties with superior
qualities.
Farmers first inoculate fields with nitrogen-fixing
bacteria to improve yields.
William James Beal produces first experimental corn
hybrid in the laboratory.
1877—A technique for staining and identifying bacteria
is developed by Koch.
1878—The first centrifuge is developed by Laval.
1879—Fleming discovers chromatin, the rod-like
structures inside the cell nucleus that later came to be
called chromosomes.
1900
Drosophila (fruit flies) used in early studies of genes.
1902
The term immunology first appears.
1906
The term genetics is introduced.