Charles Heidelberger secures a patent for one of the four nucleotide bases of ribonucleic acid.
Date: 1957
According to the National Human Genome Research Institute (NHGRI): "Ribonucleic acid (abbreviated RNA) is a nucleic acid present in all living cells that has structural similarities to DNA... Some RNAs are involved in regulating gene expression... [and] certain viruses use RNA as their genomic material."
These early patents begin to raise questions about the medical ethics of "owning" genetic or organic material that has evolved naturally.