Restriction enzymes are molecules that cut DNA at specific sequences. They were discovered in the 1970s and have become important tools in biotechnology. Restriction enzymes cut both strands of DNA in the same place and generate sticky or blunt ends. Daniel Nathans and colleagues were the first to isolate and characterize a restriction enzyme from Haemophilus influenzae that generates 11 fragments when cutting the SV40 virus DNA. Their work helped establish restriction enzymes as useful tools and earned them the 1978 Nobel Prize. Restriction enzymes are now widely used for cloning genes and studying DNA.