Abstract
Early in the twentieth century it was shown that Mendel's laws apply to plants and animals and that genes reside on chromosomes. In the 1950s the double-helix model of DNA inaugurated the molecular biology era, which culminated at the end of the century with the publication of the human genome sequence. Although the early response to discoveries in genetics was slow in Mexico, the Green Revolution and other agricultural applications of genetic knowledge contributed greatly to economic welfare, and by the end of the millennium Mexican genetics had reached world-class status at several universities and research institutions.
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We thank Daniel Piñero and two anonymous referees for their comments on previous versions.
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Glossary
- GREEN REVOLUTION
-
The great increase in production of grain crops (such as rice, corn and wheat) that was due to the introduction of high-yielding varieties, the use of pesticides and better management techniques.
- PHYTOTECHNOLOGY
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The scientific discipline and experimental practice that seeks to improve agricultural crops.
- PLASMOGENY
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Herrera's theory of the origin of 'protoplasm', the early form of life that initiated the processes of organic evolution.
- PRECOCITY
-
The tendency for plants to produce flowers or fruit earlier than normal.
- RADIOISOTOPES
-
Experimentally produced isotopes, which have an unstable excess of neutrons and are used to irradiate organisms, cells or other biological materials.
- TRANSFORMATION
-
Alteration of the genome of bacterial or other cells by their uptake of DNA purified from other organisms.
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Barahona, A., Ayala, F. The emergence and development of genetics in Mexico. Nat Rev Genet 6, 860–866 (2005). https://doi.org/10.1038/nrg1705
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/nrg1705
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