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Milestones in medical imaging and genomics

From Röntgen’s discovery of X-rays to the first complete human genome: key milestones, each linked to its source.

  • 2 min read
  • 12 cited sources
  • Sources checked October 2026

Educational content, not medical advice. It explains general science and does not replace a conversation with a qualified clinician about your own health, tests or treatment.

A century of seeing inside

Today’s imaging and genomics tools rest on a series of discoveries in physics, chemistry and biology. Every milestone below links to the source that documents it. Filter by field to follow one story at a time.

Milestones

  1. 1895Imaging

    Röntgen finds a new kind of radiation

    While studying cathode radiation, Wilhelm Röntgen discovers a previously unknown, penetrating radiation: X-rays.

    Milestone 1 of 14

  2. 1901Imaging

    Nobel Prize in Physics for Röntgen

    Röntgen is awarded the Nobel Prize in Physics for his discovery.

    Milestone 2 of 14

  3. 25 April 1953Genomics

    The double helix in Nature

    Watson and Crick propose the double-helix structure of DNA; Franklin and Gosling’s paper on DNA’s molecular configuration appears in the same issue.

    Milestone 3 of 14

  4. 1962Genomics

    Nobel Prize for the structure of DNA

    Francis Crick, James Watson and Maurice Wilkins share the Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine for discoveries concerning the molecular structure of nucleic acids.

    Milestone 4 of 14

  5. 16 March 1973Imaging

    Images from magnetic resonance

    Paul Lauterbur publishes a method for forming images from nuclear magnetic resonance signals in Nature.

    Milestone 5 of 14

  6. 1979Imaging

    Nobel Prize for computed tomography

    Allan Cormack and Godfrey Hounsfield share the Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine for the development of computer assisted tomography.

    Milestone 6 of 14

  7. 1980Genomics

    Nobel Prize for reading DNA

    Walter Gilbert and Frederick Sanger share half of the Nobel Prize in Chemistry for their contributions to determining base sequences in nucleic acids.

    Milestone 7 of 14

  8. 1990Genomics

    The Human Genome Project begins

    An international project to sequence the human genome starts; it eventually involves 20 institutions in six countries.

    Milestone 8 of 14

  9. 1993Standards

    DICOM is first published

    The DICOM standard for medical images and related information is first published, later recognised as ISO 12052.

    Milestone 9 of 14

  10. June 2000Genomics

    A draft human genome

    The Human Genome Project announces a draft sequence covering about 90 percent of the genome, with many gaps remaining.

    Milestone 10 of 14

  11. April 2003Genomics

    An essentially complete sequence

    The Human Genome Project completes an essentially complete sequence covering about 92 percent of the genome.

    Milestone 11 of 14

  12. 2003Imaging

    Nobel Prize for MRI

    Paul Lauterbur and Peter Mansfield share the Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine for their discoveries concerning magnetic resonance imaging.

    Milestone 12 of 14

  13. 2015Standards

    A shared language for variants

    The ACMG and AMP publish joint standards for interpreting sequence variants, using five terms from pathogenic to benign.

    Milestone 13 of 14

  14. 31 March 2022Genomics

    The first complete human genome

    The Telomere-to-Telomere consortium publishes the first truly complete sequence of a human genome.

    Milestone 14 of 14
Dates as stated by each source. Sources:[1][2][3][4][5][6][7][8][9][10][11][12]

Sources

Every source below was read and checked when this article was written. Links open the original publisher.

  1. [1]Wilhelm Conrad Röntgen — Facts (Nobel Prize in Physics 1901). NobelPrize.org. www.nobelprize.org/prizes/physics/1901/rontgen/facts(opens in a new tab)
  2. [2]Watson JD, Crick FHC. Molecular Structure of Nucleic Acids: A Structure for Deoxyribose Nucleic Acid. Nature 171, 1953. www.nature.com/articles/171737a0(opens in a new tab)
  3. [3]Franklin RE, Gosling RG. Molecular Configuration in Sodium Thymonucleate. Nature 171, 1953. www.nature.com/articles/171740a0(opens in a new tab)
  4. [4]The Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine 1962 (Crick, Watson & Wilkins). NobelPrize.org. www.nobelprize.org/prizes/medicine/1962/summary(opens in a new tab)
  5. [5]Lauterbur PC. Image Formation by Induced Local Interactions: Examples Employing Nuclear Magnetic Resonance. Nature 242, 1973. www.nature.com/articles/242190a0(opens in a new tab)
  6. [6]The Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine 1979 (Cormack & Hounsfield). NobelPrize.org. www.nobelprize.org/prizes/medicine/1979/summary(opens in a new tab)
  7. [7]The Nobel Prize in Chemistry 1980 (Berg; Gilbert & Sanger). NobelPrize.org. www.nobelprize.org/prizes/chemistry/1980/summary(opens in a new tab)
  8. [8]Human Genome Project fact sheet. National Human Genome Research Institute (NIH). www.genome.gov/about-genomics/educational-resources/fact-sheets/human-genome-project(opens in a new tab)
  9. [9]About DICOM: Overview. DICOM Standards Committee (NEMA). www.dicomstandard.org/about(opens in a new tab)
  10. [10]The Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine 2003 (Lauterbur & Mansfield). NobelPrize.org. www.nobelprize.org/prizes/medicine/2003/summary(opens in a new tab)
  11. [11]Richards S, Aziz N, Bale S, et al. Standards and guidelines for the interpretation of sequence variants: a joint consensus recommendation of the ACMG and AMP. Genetics in Medicine, 2015. pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC4544753(opens in a new tab)
  12. [12]Telomere-to-Telomere. National Human Genome Research Institute (NIH). www.genome.gov/about-genomics/telomere-to-telomere(opens in a new tab)