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Biology / Unit 6   Bio 1193 short lesson, about 20 seconds

Griffith's Transformation Experiment (1928)

Captions available

The idea

Frederick Griffith showed in 1928 that a heat-killed pathogenic bacterial strain could transfer a heritable trait into a living harmless strain.

In practice

Mice injected with live harmless bacteria plus heat-killed pathogenic bacteria died, and live pathogenic bacteria were recovered from them.

Where people slip

Griffith identified a "transforming principle" existed — his experiment did not itself identify that principle as DNA.

Your place on the trail

Every lesson rests on earlier ones and opens later ones. Tap any to jump.

Builds on

  • Nothing. This is a starting point.

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