The polymerase chain reaction: the revolution within.

This article has attempted to review the basic and more sophisticated applications of the PCR to modern molecular biology research strategies. It is an inherently powerful tool which has immediately impacted research methodology. But it is equally elegant in its theoretical simplicity and it is this quality that will not simply enhance the means to answer research questions, but effect profound and lasting transformations on the basic nature of the questions themselves. This is where the revolution begins.