Summary

As some scientists were "writing" genes by mixing and matching gene fragments, others were trying to master gene sequencing in order to "read" genes. Biochemist Frederick Sanger wanted to solve the complex problem of characterizing insulin on a molecular level. In 1917, Sanger began to devise a gene sequencing technique and in 1977 was able to use this technique to reveal the full sequence of a simple virus. In the same year, other scientists discovered that many types of animal DNA are split into modules, not continuous stretches of information; this was a further developing in the science of gene sequencing or "reading." By 1980, major and significant developments were made in technologies that would enable genetic engineering and the manipulations of genes. As Mukherjee writes, "Every field of biology was transformed by gene-cloning and gene-sequencing technology" (223).

Analysis

In this section, readers will...