Study for the PMLS History of Medical Technology Test. Explore flashcards and multiple choice questions, each question is accompanied by hints and explanations. Get prepared for your exam!

Multiple Choice

The polymerase chain reaction (PCR) was invented by whom and in what year?

PCR was invented by Kary Mullis in 1983. This method arose from Mullis’s insight that DNA could be copied in cycles of heating to separate strands, cooling to allow primers to bind, and extension to build new DNA strands using a DNA polymerase that could withstand repeated heating. That combination makes it possible to exponentially amplify a specific DNA segment from tiny starting material, revolutionizing fields from diagnostics to forensics. The other dates don’t match when the invention actually occurred, and the name Carl Levin isn’t associated with the invention.

PCR was invented by Kary Mullis in 1983. This method arose from Mullis’s insight that DNA could be copied in cycles of heating to separate strands, cooling to allow primers to bind, and extension to build new DNA strands using a DNA polymerase that could withstand repeated heating. That combination makes it possible to exponentially amplify a specific DNA segment from tiny starting material, revolutionizing fields from diagnostics to forensics. The other dates don’t match when the invention actually occurred, and the name Carl Levin isn’t associated with the invention.