Researched
PCR
Polymerase chain reaction copies a tiny piece of DNA millions of times in a few hours.
Open in the interactive tree →Kary Mullis conceived the method in 1983 and the first paper appeared in 1985; the heat-stable Taq polymerase (1988) made it easy to automate. PCR gave every lab a simple way to read, clone and detect DNA and earned Mullis the 1993 Nobel Prize. It underlies forensic DNA tests, genome sequencing and diagnostics such as COVID-19 tests.