## The development of genetics and science fiction

One of the key topics that science fiction has repeatedly opened since its beginnings in the 19th Century is the creation and modification of new forms of life. At a time when the basic rules of heredity and their molecular essence were not yet known, fiction of this type was completely abstract, or based on medical knowledge or a modified form of religious belief. Throughout the 19th and 20th Centuries, however, genetics began to develop intensively, and it also began to penetrate the popular culture. The seminal work of Gregor Johann Mendel, in which he described his original idea of ​​heredity, was published in 1866 (for more details about Mendel and his work, see chapter 1 - In the beginning there was Mendel). Unfortunately, his idea fell into oblivion for several decades and had to be rediscovered in 1900 by a trio of scientists Carl Correns, Hugo de Vries, and Erich von Tschermak. In the following decades, genetics came more and more to the forefront of scientist’s interest, and after the molecular structure of DNA was described in 1953 by Watson, Crick, Franklin and Wilkins, a massive development of molecular genetics started (for more details on the basic structure of DNA, see chapter 3 - Meet DNA: the bearer of genetic information). However, the history of science fiction starts even deeper into the past (Figure 19.1).

The novel "Frankenstein" (1818) by the English author Mary Shelley is generally considered to be the very first work of the science fiction genre (however stories with certain elements of science fiction were already published in the distant past). Even before the description of the structure of DNA, the topic of artificial preparation of human embryos or humanized animals appeared in the works of Herbert G. Wells (novel "The Island of Dr. Moreau"; 1896) and Aldolus Huxley (novel "Brave New World"; 1932), but the real boom of genetics in science fiction came along with the so-called "golden era of sci-fi" in the 1950s. Genetics then quickly entered the mainstream, becoming the basis for comic book creation, horror films and entered the fantasy genre. Nowadays, we come across the topic of genetic modification, mutations or cloning quite commonly in practically any form of popular culture.