Published: September 10, 2009
University of Leicester Celebrates the 25th Anniversary of DNA Fingerprinting
Professor Sir Alec Jeffreys Underlines The Importance of Curiosity-Driven Research
Today (Thursday September 10) sees the 25th Anniversary of the discovery of DNA fingerprinting by Professor Sir Alec Jeffreys, Royal Society Wolfson Research Professor at the University of Leicester.
Sir Alec's "Eureka" moment at 9.05am on 10 September 1984, when he realised that incredibly variable patterns in the structure of DNA could be used to distinguish one individual from another, opened up a new field of scientific investigation that has since helped to solve numerous crimes and answered questions and disputes over personal identity, paternity, immigration, conservation, and cloning.
The University of Leicester, where Sir Alec has worked for the past 32 years and which recently awarded him an Honorary Distinguished Fellowship - the University's highest accolade - is marking the anniversary of his breakthrough with a series of media interviews and events.
Amongst the events are plans to showcase the achievement with a giant DNA model in the building where the discovery was made; a Darwin/DNA Day - a day to celebrate the 25th anniversary of the discovery of genetic fingerprinting together with the 200th anniversary of Darwin's birth - with public lectures and discussion forums; schools outreach programmes as well as a social programme.
In an exclusive interview commissioned by the University from education media consultants Media FHE, Sir Alec underlines the importance of continuing to allow academics to conduct "unfettered, fundamental, curiosity-driven" research that has led to some of the most important discoveries, including his own.
Sir Alec says he is "not sure the Government has got the full message" about the importance of such "blue skies" research, which he describes as "the ultimate engine of all scientific and technological evolution", warning: "You lose that at your peril."
He is critical of attempts to set too many priorities and strategies in research, which he believes tends to direct scientists towards establishing and solving obvious problems.
And he questions recent moves towards assembling huge teams of scientists to work on large-scale studies and experiments, including the Human Genome Project. Although such projects are valuable, they run the risk of becoming "factory science", working towards predictable outcomes.
"I am saying you have to have a mixed economy. You don't have to put all your eggs into this great common basket that will deliver answers to questions that you can define, because the far more exciting thing is that it delivers questions that you never knew existed - and that to me is infinitely more valuable because that set s the future agenda," he said.
This philosophy is why he has chosen to say at Leicester, he says, despite many tempting offers to move elsewhere.
While the University's Department of Genetics has expanded to three times its original size since Sir Alec arrived, he believes its fundamental collegiate ethos has remained the same.
"That sense of community, that sense of glue holding us all together in a common purpose, is as strong as ever," he said.
As well as continuing with his research, Sir Alec loves raising awareness of and interest in scientific discovery by giving public lectures and visiting schools.
He said: "It is a huge privilege to be able to go out and give these talks, and you can see the excitement that can be generated."
Sir Alec remains excited about the potential of science to reveal the unknown. He says any predictions he makes about the next 25 years inevitably have to be about technological developments rather than scientific discoveries because the joy of science is its unpredictability. This is perhaps why the discovery he would be most excited to see in the next 25 years does not involve anything to do with his own research. "No-brainer," he says. "Extra-terrestrial life. I would love to see that before I die."
The interview in full can be found on the University of Leicester's website at:
http://www2.le.ac.uk/offices/press/media-centre/25th-anniversary-of-dna-fingerprinting/interview-with-professor-sir-alec-jeffreys-1
For more information, please contact:
Ather Mirza
Press Office
University of Leicester
Tel: 0116 252 3335
Email: pressoffice@le.ac.uk
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