Frederick Griffith's work with the Streptococcus pneumonaie bacteria gave him an important place in the history of biology. The impact of his work on the science of genetics, however, was even more crucial, although it is not clear whether Griffith himself ever realized his contributions to this field. Griffith's classic experiments, published in a single seminal paper in 1928, showed that some strains of bacteria could appropriate the disease-causing characteristics of other strains. Although interesting for the light it shed on the virulence of certain organisms, what Grifith called the "transforming principle" was also the first clear evidence linking DNA to heredity in cells.

The details of Griffith's life are not completely known. He lived quietly and reclusively, and importance of his work was not appreciated until well after his death. Griffith was born in 1879 (some sources say 1877 or 1881) in Hale, in Cheshire, England, and he attended Liverpool University...