A timeline of key discoveries in genetics: From Darwin to the Human Genome Project

Medicover Genetics Editorial Team|

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Genetics as we know and understand it today has been shaped, over decades, by the work of many dedicated scientists around the world, and they all deserve our praise and recognition.

To illustrate how the field of genetics has evolved, we have selected some key breakthroughs to highlight in our latest infographic. As you read through them, remember there are many more not included here, and that ground-breaking discoveries often build on the research that came before. The achievements we have listed here bring us up to 2022, but it is not the end of the story, and as research in the field of genetics continues, we are excited to see what the future holds.

You can read more about the to the field of genetics in one of our other infographics.

In this infographic:

  • 1859 Survival of the fittest
  • 1865 Laws of inheritance
  • 1869 DNA isolated for the first time
  • 1882 Chromosomes discovered
  • 1902 First genetic disease documented
  • 1909 First use of the word “gene”
  • 1910 First sex linked trait discovered
  • 1951 First amino acid sequence published
  • 1953 Structure of DNA described
  • Early 1960s First newborn screening test
  • 1975 DNA sequencing methods developed
  • 1982 GenBank opened
  • 1983 Polymerase chain reaction developed
  • 1985 DNA fingerprinting developed
  • 1990 Human genome project launched
  • 1998 Mycobacterium tuberculosis genome sequenced
  • 1999 Chromosome 22 sequenced
  • 2000 Draft of the human genome published
  • 2002 Complete mouse genome sequenced
  • 2003 Human Genome Project completed
  • 2020 Genome of strains of novel SARs-CoV-2 virus sequenced
  • 2022 Remaining gaps in the human genome sequenced

Last updated: 10.09.2026

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