The Matthew Binns Selection

My Top Five | The Matthew Binns Selection

I think all molecular biologists would recognize that the papers describing di-deoxy sequencing¹ and Kary Mullis' PCR technique² have changed the world of science profoundly. Mullis, a true "gonzo" scientist, includes a favorite quote in a chapter of a book he edited that describes the development of PCR: "There is a place in your brain, I think, reserved for 'the melancholy of relationships past.' It grows and prospers as life progresses, forcing you finally, against your grain, to listen to country music." (K.B. Mullis et al., eds., The Polymerase Chain Reaction, Birkhauser: Boston, 1995, p. 427).

The paper describing the principles for constructing a genetic linkage map in man using RFLPs³ underpins a great deal of current research effort in the mapping of inherited diseases. The identification of the gene mutation causing narcolepsy in dogs⁴, demonstrates...