Abstract
The process of progress of molecular biology sciences was discussed through the quantitative and qualitative changes of papers appeared in the J. Mol. Biol.. Further, the discovery process and the spread process of recombinant DNA technology were discussed through the changes of numbers of cited paper and patent. Finally, the obtained results were compared with the model of paradigm. It became clear that the development process of molecular biology science was not monotonous, but the ups and downs. Two active periods appeared in the year between 1960 and 1974 and the year after 1990. It was also found that the main theme of research was different between two active periods and transferred from DNA to protein. The discovery of recombinant DNA technology consisted of three results of the past research. It was concretely shown by the flow of cited papers that these three facts were connected with many results of the past. It was found that some of various fragmentary knowledge and technologies of the past and the creative concepts were combined and then the new discovery was yielded. It was found from the changes of numbers of cited paper and patent that the recombinant DNA technology was diffused rapidly over the fundamental and applied area. The process of progress of molecular biology science could be fundamentally interpreted as the paradigm model and the normal science proposed by T. S. Kuhn, and the mechanism of progress of the normal science became clear in detail.
