Holmes, M (2018) Somatic Hybridization: The Rise and Fall of a Mid-Twentieth-Century Biotechnology. Historical Studies in the Natural Sciences, 48 (1). pp. 1-23. ISSN 1939-1811
Abstract
Somatic hybridization is the particle collider of the biological world: where plant cells stripped of their cell wall are fused to create interspecific crosses containing a huge range of genetic information. This paper charts the origins of somatic hybridization and its rise and fall as a plant breeding technique. During the 1960s and 1970s, the creation of somatic hybrids through cell fusion promised a new era of crop improvement. Yet the promises of somatic hybridization were instead fulfilled by advances in recombinant DNA technology. Rather than cast somatic hybridization as a failed research program, this paper argues that a number of factors significantly slowed, but did not halt, developments in somatic hybridization research from the 1960s; the technique should therefore be considered a dormant biotechnology. Reconstructing the history of somatic hybridization reveals a new history of modern biotechnology beyond genetic modification, dominated by plant physiologists.
Metadata
Item Type: | Article |
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Authors/Creators: |
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Copyright, Publisher and Additional Information: | © 2018 by the Regents of the University of California. Published as Somatic Hybridization, The Rise and Fall of a Mid-Twentieth-Century Biotechnology, Matthew Holmes, Historical Studies in the Natural Sciences, Vol. 48 No. 1, February 2018; (pp. 1-23) DOI: 10.1525/hsns.2018.48.1.1. Copying and permissions notice: Authorization to copy this content beyond fair use (as specified in Sections 107 and 108 of the U. S. Copyright Law) for internal or personal use, or the internal or personal use of specific clients, is granted by the Regents of the University of California for libraries and other users, provided that they are registered with and pay the specified fee via Rightslink® or directly with the Copyright Clearance Center. |
Keywords: | Cell fusion; Edward C. Cocking; Plant breeding; Plant biotechnology; Protoplasts; Somatic hybrids; Technological failure |
Dates: |
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Institution: | The University of Leeds |
Academic Units: | The University of Leeds > Faculty of Arts, Humanities and Cultures (Leeds) > School of Philosophy, Religion and History of Science (Leeds) > School of Philosophy (Leeds) |
Depositing User: | Symplectic Publications |
Date Deposited: | 13 Jun 2017 09:43 |
Last Modified: | 07 Aug 2018 00:39 |
Status: | Published |
Publisher: | University of California Press |
Identification Number: | 10.1525/hsns.2018.48.1.1 |
Open Archives Initiative ID (OAI ID): | oai:eprints.whiterose.ac.uk:117634 |