Co-chairman's remarks: genetics and the twentieth century

Genetics, the study of the gene, developed all through the twentieth century. It began with a search for mutations in a variety of organisms and the mapping of these mutations on chromosomes. Since it applied to humans, genetics became of interest to some of the ideologies that flourished during this century. In particular, eugenic ideas were used as an argument by the Nazis for the atrocities they committed in concentration camps. The gene long remained a 'being of reason', until the middle of the century, when it turned out to be made of DNA. In 1953, the discovery of the structure of DNA gave a completely new turn to genetics.