Introduction and Overview^†

For over 60 years, we have been fascinated and stimulated by their awareness that the study of nucleic acids is central to the knowledge of life. This chapter looks at the biological importance of DNA, the origins of nucleic acids research, early structural studies on nucleic acids and also the discovery of the structure of DNA. It then focuses on the advent of molecular biology, the partnership of chemistry and biology and then the world of RNA. The chapter concludes with a section on frontiers in nucleic acid research.