The Genetic Revolutions

Matthew Cobb uses the history of heredity to question the idea that scientific revolutions are instantly recognisable. The lecture follows changing ideas about inheritance, Mendel’s experiments and their rediscovery, evidence for DNA’s genetic role, the double helix and genetic engineering. Even major discoveries did not immediately settle contemporary debates: protein-based accounts of inheritance persisted after 1953, and evidence for DNA’s role in multicellular organisms developed later. These examples show how retrospective accounts can compress gradual changes into apparently decisive moments.