Genetic engineering
Who
Paul Berg and Stanley N. Cohen, American Jewish biochemists, among the founders of recombinant DNA technology.
When
1972–1973
Where
Stanford, California, USA
Recombinant DNA technology, the basis of genetic engineering, emerged in the early 1970s: Paul Berg made the first recombinant DNA molecule (1972), and Stanley Cohen, with Herbert Boyer, showed genes could be cloned in bacteria (1973). This opened modern biotechnology, from insulin production to gene therapy. Berg and Cohen were American Jewish scientists (Berg later won a Nobel Prize).
Sources
Part of “The Gifts of the Jews” — verified Jewish contributions to the world, with sources.