Westminster Professor Discusses 50th Anniversary of DNA

Dr. Patrick McCarthy, professor of biology at Westminster College, will present "DNA's Golden Jubilee" Thursday, April 24, at 6 p.m. in Phillips Lecture Hall located in the Hoyt Science Resources Center.

"On April 25, 1953 the Journal of Nature published the now classic page-and-a-half paper by James Watson and Francis Crick, in which they described the basic molecular structure of DNA, the genetic material of all living things," said McCarthy.  "The 50 years since their discovery have been marked by a remarkable number of research findings that have recently resulted in the completion of the human genome project, an international effort to map and sequence of 3.2 billion basic units of DNA.  The occasion of the 50-year celebration of the Watson-Crick model of DNA offers a unique opportunity to explore the birth and development of molecular genetics."

McCarthy, who has been with Westminster College since 1970, earned his undergraduate degree, his master's and Ph.D. from Wayne State University.  He teaches courses in general biology, genetics, cell and molecular biology, immunology, and the biology of aging at Westminster.  McCarthy has spent sabbaticals as a genetic counselor for the Magee Women's Hospital, and as a genetic researcher for Case Western Reserve University School of Medicine.

The event is free and open to the public.  For more information, contact McCarthy at (724) 946-7211 or e-mail pmcarthy@westminster.edu.