In the 1970s, Immunologists Discovered the Genetic Mechanism Allowing a Population

Essay

In the 1970s, immunologists discovered the genetic mechanism allowing a population of B cells to produce an enormous diversity of different antibodies. At the time, this discovery shocked the field of biology, as it called into question the ‘immutable’ nature of DNA, which was known to be the genetic material transmitted from generation to generation during the propagation of the species. Briefly describe this startling mechanism.