In 1962, the Nobel Prize was awarded to Francis Crick and James Watson for formulating the structure of the complex molecule known as DNA. These discoveries were a direct result of the accumulation of many scientists’ earlier analyses and findings of the DNA. Before Watson and Crick had developed the double-helical structure of DNA, indication of this genetic material had been revealed around the 1850’s. During the century following the first evidence of DNA, subsequent researchers had been eagerly examining the physical and chemical components of this molecule. Moreover, scientists such as Erwin Chargaff and Linus Pauling established a scientific foundation of research for future experts like Watson and Crick to analyze and interpret. The history of science acknowledges Watson and Crick’s findings as an exclusive discovery of their studies. However, the knowledge required to expose these innovative ideas are a culmination of “human events in which personalities and cultural traditions play major roles” (Watson and Stent, 3). Watson’s personal account within The Double Helix introduces the significance of these scientific influences on his research and discovery of the DNA molecular structure. Without major scientific figures, such as Max Perutz, Rosalind Franklin, and Linus Pauling, the conceptualization of Watson and Crick’s DNA structure would not have successfully developed as it did in the 1950’s.
Intrigued by Linus Pauling’s discovery of the alpha helix, Watson
Scientists James Watson and Francis Crick discovered the double-helix configuration of a DNA strand in the early 1950’s. DNA’s structural discovery implemented modern molecular biology, which is implicated with genes controlling chemical processes within cells. The structure also contributed to revolutionary intuition into the genetic code and protein synthesis ("The Francis Crick Papers: The Discovery of the Double Helix, 1951-1953."). These scientists’ breakthrough was the first stride to the modern day scientific techniques of recombinant DNA research, rapid gene sequencing, monoclonal antibodies, and genetic engineering. The Human Genome Project mapped out roughly 20,050 human genes and 3
One of the leading discoveries of the 20th century was finding the shape and structure of DNA. James Watson was a co-founder of this incredible discovery which would lead to a vast and diverse new field of study within genetics. His life prior to the discovery is a story all to itself, and the impact he left on science is massive. With the knowledge gained from this revolutionary finding, the future of humanity and life could be secured, in all faces of adversity, and any new frontier we dare to tread upon. With this paper, I would like to pay homage to one of our greatest scientists in history, James Watson.
This paper explores the history and some interesting facts about DNA. The last couple centuries have seen an exponential growth in our knowledge of DNA. The history of the DNA can be traced back to multiple devoted scientist. This article attempts to summarize, and review the basic history of DNA while providing some fascinating information about it.
The discovery of deoxyribonucleic acid, more commonly known as DNA, has been the foundation for much scientific work. This fundamental discovery was credited to James Watson and Francis Crick. Many people believe that another person, Rosalind Franklin, also played a large role in the research. How much did she contribute to the discovery? Why is her name left unrecognized? This paper will discuss her part in the search and whether her name should appear next to Watson's and Crick's as the co-discoverer of DNA.
Over the course of the modern age, the human body was still a mystery waiting to be solved. The body contains secrets one can only hope to discover. Over the twentieth century, scientists tried to understand one of the most complex concepts in the biological field. DNA (Deoxyribonucleic acid) was at the forefront of research. Several theories claimed to have solved the structural concept of DNA. However, it was not until Francis Crick and James D. Watson discovered the true structure, the double helix. However, many potential models of DNA had passed through the biology field until eventual lose of credibility. The past models would contain a fixed detail that would make the entire concept invalid. In James D. Watson book, The Double Helix, he illustrates his path amid incorrect theories until he reaches the model that is taught around the world today.
2. What role did James Watson & Francis Crick play in our understanding of DNA’s structure? They discovered the 3D structure.
Also he helped with mapping cancer to help people or warn others, so they will be able to find if they have it. James helped out everyone on this planet and those who are sick or are sick but don’t know it. To be recognized in the scientific community you have to do something amazing. Crick and James Watson's first look toward taking in the structure of DNA missed the goal, but their second look took place in the spring 1953 and brought about the match of the ladder helical look. Which takes after a stepping stool. Their model added how the DNA particle could copy itself. Watson and Crick had looked the work of English scientist Rosalind Franklin, a partner of Maurice Wilkins' at King's College London, to land at their noteworthy disclosure, notwithstanding, her commitment to their discoveries would go generally unrecognized until after her she died. Franklin had made a few unpublished working papers talking about the basic characteristics of DNA, and with her understudy Raymond Gosling had taken a X-ray diffraction picture of DNA, known as Photo 51, which would get to be urgent proof in recognizing the structure of
“Science and everyday life cannot and should not be separated”; this seemingly simple statement is found in a letter written by Rosalind Franklin to her father. Over seventy years after this declaration was made, an abundance of people have proven its truth and unknowingly use this statement to influence their education and life. Although Rosalind Franklin underwent various trials throughout her life, generational research can attend that her persistence made her into the brilliant chemist that is still remembered today. Rosalind Franklin’s most recognized piece of work is her important contributions in understanding the structure of DNA, a remarkable discovery considering her unexpectedly short lifespan. When looking at the impact Franklin
Scientist in early 1950s James Watson a biologist from Indiana University and Francis Crick a physicist were working at lab to discover the structure of DNA. The primary technique for structural analysis of biological molecules is X-rays. The wave length of X-ray is about the same as the space between the atoms in crystal matters. We learn and know that genetic information was carried on chromosomes made up of DNA and protein. Maurice decided and taken the first x-ray picture of DNA that lead him to suggest the DNA structure might be a helix. Watson was able to rely on Wilkins' research. If he had not, he may have not been the one to discover the structure of DNA. The biggest thing I learned from my research is that scientists can’t make discoveries
"The discovery of the structure by Crick and Watson, with all its biological implications, has been one of the major scientific events of this century." (Bragg, The Double Helix, p1) In the story of The Double Helix, James Watson tells of the road that led to the discovery of life's basic building block-DNA. This autobiography gives insight into science and the workings within a professional research laboratory that few members of society will ever be able to experience. It also gives the reader an idea of the reality of life for one scientist and how he struggled with the problem of DNA. However, the author's style is marked by his lack of objectivity and inclusion of many biased opinions and personal
With a competitive spirit, people are driven to act in ways that they would not otherwise and the results can be drastic. In the case of James D. Watson and Francis Crick, in Watson’s novel the Double Helix, this sensation of competition leads to one of the greatest discoveries in biology. But the actions of Watson, Crick, and their competitors may or may not be justified for the results that they yield; the powerful conflict of rivalry has beneficial, detrimental, and questionably moral consequences that shaped the pathway to DNA’s structure.
The Double Helix, written by James D. Watson, is an autobiographical portrayal of the race to discover the molecular structure DNA. The characters throughout the book consist of Francis Crick, Maurice Wilkins, Linus Pauling, Peter Pauling, Rosalind Franklin, and Erwin Chargaff. Crick was Watson’s partner in the discovery of DNA. Maurice Wilkins worked at King’s College in London and made Watson’s interest in DNA more prominent. Linus Pauling was a chemist at Caltech in California and was intensely close to beating Watson and Crick to the figuring out the structure of DNA. Rosalind Franklin worked under Maurice Wilkins at King’s College faced gender bias as a woman. Sir Lawrence Bragg was the Director of the Cavendish Laboratory at Cambridge and the superior of Crick and Watson. Erwin Chargaff at Columbia University was the scientist who discovered the rules in the bonding of base pairs. Lastly, Peter Pauling gave Watson and Crick their last piece of evidence to identify the double helix. The story was narrated by James Watson, who earned his PhD in Zoology at Harvard.
Rosalind Franklin, a name mostly forgotten in textbooks, majorly contributed to the discovery of DNA’s helical structure. Unfortunately for her, her contribution was made during a time when feelings of misogyny and antisemitism were prevalent. As a result, she never received the recognition she deserved from her male competitors. Photographs that she had taken and reports that she had written were unknowingly given to rival scientists, Francis Watson and James Crick, Photograph 51 being the most prominent among them. This led them to determining DNA’s structure and acquiring international fame. Had her information not been leaked, Rosalind would’ve had a very good chance of discovering it first. Franklin changed the world of science with Photograph
Watson and Crick’s paper discussed the discovery of the double helix in DNA. It included the angles created by the bonds between molecules that created the double helix nature of our DNA. In order to do such, they used Rosalind Franklin’s ‘Photo 51’ with hinted at the fact that our DNA was, in fact, a double helix. As a supplement to this photo, they made calculations based on numbers that described the x-ray crystallography from Franklin. The monoclinic unit cells that Crick saw in the DNA were the same as the ones he had found in horse haemoglobin from one of his previous studies confirming that DNA was made up of two matching strands that fit with one another.
Rosalind Franklin’s work on DNA was crucial in discovering the composition of the human body as a whole. Her x-ray photo revealed a double helix structure and she also discovered the A and B form of DNA. She worked through the adversity of being a female in a predominately male dominated realm and made remarkable findings that were eventually stolen. She adapted to a new lab with antiquated technology. Before this discovery, the structure of DNA was thought to be simple. Scientist, Watson and Crick, started with the wrong structure of DNA from a misinterpretation of notes from one of Franklin’s presentations. Unlike Watson and Crick, Rosalind Franklin could explain DNA and how it worked.