The recombinant DNA revolution was made possible by the discovery of restriction enzymes, which slice DNA into manageable, specific segments for study. That discovery, coupled with the subsequent ability to "amplify" these DNA segments using the techniques of molecular cloning, set the stage for the practical sequencing techniques developed in the late 1970s by Alan Maxam, Walter Gilbert, and Frederick Sanger. The arc of these developments was documented in Science research news reports by Jean Marx and Gina Bari Kolata.

One of the earliest complete sequences to be published using these new techniques was that of simian virus (SV) 40, the study of which had been central to the development of restriction enzymes. In marked contrast to the billion-base-pair data sets of contemporary bioinformatics, the entire, 5226-nucleotide sequence of SV40 fit easily on four pages of Science.

The ethical and social implications and potential hazards posed by the new molecular biology were apparent to the scientific and political communities at an early stage in its development. In 1975, Science published the summary statement of the Asilomar Conference on Recombinant DNA Molecules, which had explored ways to minimize biohazards implicit in the new technology.

Restriction Enzymes: New Tools for Studying DNA
Jean L. Marx
Science, 4 May 1973, v. 180 (4085): 482-485
[PDF] (448K)

Asilomar Conference on Recombinant DNA Molecules
Paul Berg, David Baltimore, Syndey Brenner, Richard O. Roblin III, Maxine F. Singer
Science, 6 June 1975, v. 188 (4192): 991-994
[PDF] (426K)

Molecular Cloning: Powerful Tool for Studying Genes
Jean L. Marx
Science, 19 March 1976, v. 191 (4232): 1160-1162
[PDF] (354K)

DNA Sequencing: A New Era in Molecular Biology
Gina Bari Kolata
Science, 14 May 1976, v. 192 (4240): 645-647
[PDF] (334K)

The Genome of Simian Virus 40
V. B. Reddy et al.
Science, 5 May 1978, v. 200 (4341): 494-502
[PDF] (972K)