This episode is all about How A Biochemical Chain Reaction Saved Millions of Lives It spawned technology that has revolutionized everything from ancestry research to tools that have improved the criminal justice system and helped to set many innocent people free. Known as PCR, or the polymerase chain reaction, Dr. Henry Erlich is here to tell us how he and his colleagues discovered PCR and how it is used today.

Dr. Henry Erlich is a world-renowned scientist, author, educator, and human rights activist. His contributions to the field of DNA research are groundbreaking.

In the 1980s, he pioneered innovative techniques for assessing DNA evidence, revolutionizing the criminal justice system. Under his leadership, he and his colleagues developed the polymerase chain reaction (PCR) technology. The technology is used in numerous ways and is familiar to people even in their daily lives. PCR technology has helped save millions of lives worldwide. Beyond his work in DNA forensics, Dr. Erlich’s research has contributed to medical research and enriched our understanding of evolution and historical events.

His latest book is “DNA Analysis and Human Evolution: Genetic Reconstruction of the Past,”.