PCR!!

The creation of PCR revolutionized science. It changed the way we think about studying genetics and made studying genes much easier, not to mention cheaper. Kary Mullis was working as a chemist for Cetus when he came up with the idea to use DNA primers to bracket a region of interest in the genome and amplify it using DNA polymerase. Mullis and his coworkers were the first to optimize PCR and use it to amplify regions of the genome. PCR has since become a mundane task that infiltrates thousands of labs. Mullis received a $10,000 bonus from Cetus and the 1993 Nobel Prize for this discovery.

• One of the first papers to use PCR.

Extra: Mullis' description of PCR, ironically published after the paper above.

Video from BioRad via YouTube.