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Cracking the Code of Life
Understanding heredity
Intro
Pythagoras
Empedocles
Aristotle
Harvey
Leeuwenhoek
de Maupertuis
Darwin
Mendel
Morgan
Crick & Watson
McClintock
Genome Project
Image
Strand of DNA



Introduction
Of all the branches of science, genetics is the most self-reflective; not without coincidence, it is also the most universal. We all like to think about who we are, where we came from, and how we are related to others, sometimes even a little too much. All of this thinking (at least on the part of scientists) has paid off. Today, with the Human Genome Project slated to release a complete sequence of our genetic code by 2003, we are closer than ever to answering many questions that have dogged thinkers for thousands of years and many that we've never even posed before. In this feature, take a closer look at a sequence that stretches almost as far as the code itself -- the checkered history of our handle on heredity.


Photos: (1-11) Corbis Images; (12) WGBH/NOVA.

Watch the Program Here | Our Genetic Future (A Survey)
Manipulating Genes: How Much is Too Much? | Understanding Heredity
Explore a Stretch of Code | Nature vs Nurture Revisited
Sequence for Yourself | Journey into DNA | Meet the Decoders
Resources | Update to Program | Teacher's Guide | Transcript
Site Map | Cracking the Code of Life Home

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