3·109 x 0,34·10-9 = 1 m
1 m x 75·1012 = 75·1012 m
= ten thousand times to the Moon and back again = 500 return trips to the Sun
You can calculate this in two ways, considering that there are 3 billion
base PAIRS present in a cell. Strictly taken, you should write down 6
billion bases in the books. Nevertheless, calculating with only 3
billion bases is also correct since they are complementary to the other
3 billion. This calculation takes 6 billion bases into account:
For each book: 107 bases (1000 x 10000). So we need 600 books with a total height of 600 x 5 cm = 3000 cm = 30 m
You only need 2 DVDs and even less if you use some kind of data compression.
| Year | Milestone | Type |
|---|---|---|
| 1590 | Invention of the microscope | Experimental |
| 1663 | First description of cells | Discovery |
| 1830 | First description of proteins | Discovery |
| 1833 | First purification of enzymes | Exp./Disc. |
| 1906 | The word genetics makes its first appearance | -- |
| 1919 | The concept of biotechnology is introduced | -- |
| 1944 | Avery proves that DNA is the molecule containing genetic information | Discovery |
| 1946 | ENIAC, the first programmable computer able to perform 5000 calculations in one second, is built | Computer |
| 1951 | Pauling and Corey describe α-helices and β-sheets | Discovery |
| 1953 | Watson and Crick describe the 3D structure of DNA | Discovery |
| 1958 | Development of the first microchip | Computer |
| 1970 | A method is developed to compare sequences (Needleman-Wunsch) | Experimental |
| 1971 | Ray Tomlinson invents a new way to communicate: e-mail | Computer |
| 1972 | Scientist realise that the DNA composition of chimpanzees is 99% identical to that of Man | Discovery |
| 1973 | The Protein Data Bank containing all known information about protein structures is created | Computer |
| 1974 | The idea arises to link several computers through an internet | Computer |
| 1976 | Building of the first supercomputer: it could perform 160 million operations per second and had a memory of 8 MB | Computer |
| 1981 | A machine is built to bind nucleotides together and thus build small pieces of genes | Experimental |
| 1981 | IBM introduces its Personal Computer: a computer for everyone | Computer |
| 1983 | A new technique is developed to make exact copies of DNA in large amounts: PCR | Experimental |
| 1983 | The Compact Disc is brought to the market | Computer |
| 1986 | The term genomics is used for the first time and describes the science of sequencing, mapping and analyzing genes | -- |
| 1986 | The Swiss-Prot databank is started, containing all known information about proteins | Computer |
| 1988 | The Human Genome Project is launched | -- |
| 1991 | The European research center CERN develops the World Wide Web | Computer |
| 1994 | The first breast cancer gene is discovered | Discovery |
| 1995 | For the first time, the complete genome of a bacterium is sequenced | Discovery |
| 1997 | The sheep Dolly is cloned in Scotland | Exp./Disc. |
| 1998 | The first complete animal genome is sequenced: a worm | Discovery |
| 2001 | The human genome is published, although a few gaps remain | Discovery |
| 2005 | The monkey genome is published | Discovery |
