1944: The Avery–MacLeod–McCarty experiment shows that DNA is the “transforming principle” [2] [30]

Art Piece: Cybele Transforms the Ships of Aeneas into Sea Nymphs, Johann Wilhelm Baur, c. 1640 [87]

Paper: Studies on the Chemical Nature of the Substance Inducing Transformation of Pneumococcal Types [12]

In a surprisingly simple experiment, the Avery–MacLeod–McCarty experiment showed that the ‘transforming principle’ mentioned above, which many wanted to elucidate, was actually DNA. Now, we became one step closer to better understanding the true nature of the building blocks of life, the building blocks of ourselves. More specifically [2], this experiment showed that DNA and not protein can transform cell properties; through analyzing differences in the S and R strains of Streptococcus pneumoniae, Avery, MacLeod, and McCarthy were able to find that deoxyribonucleic acid was the basis for transformation differences between the two bacterial strains. This was a very large paradigm shift, as it allowed us to finally know that DNA was what was doing the transforming, that DNA was very important for us to better understand. The artwork above [87], showing “Cybele Transform[ing] the Ships of Aeneas into Sea Nymphs,” is relevant to his paradigm shifting event because the piece encapsulates an important, very consequential transformation, much like the Avery–MacLeod–McCarty experiment did. There is so much drama and depth to the print above, and although the experiment here may not have been as dramatic, the experiment did give us a lot of insight and depth into understanding DNA. Moreover, the paper above [12] is the original paper by Avery, MacLeod, and McCarty — a significant piece of work and a very important piece of science history, particularly in the context of molecular and cellular biology. This original paper showcases the experimentation that Avery, MacLeod, and McCarty did to come to their eventual findings, a firsthand account into such an important paradigm shift.

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