1. Watson and Crick think that the DNA “dyad” formed by hybridization of two negatively charged molecules will be stable because of the hydrogen bonding. The hydrogen atoms have a partially positive charge that stabilized the partially negatively charged Oxygen and Nitrogen. This weak interaction makes the hydrogen bonds and when there is a large amount of these weak bonds, the helix will be very stable.
2. When Pauling and Cory attempted to come up with the structure of DNA, they thought that the DNA helix was a triple helix. This was because they misinterpreted DNA A structure and concluded that the phosphate and sugars were on the inside and the nucleotide bases were on the outside. Watson and Crick said this was not possible because phosphates can’t fit together inside the helix without breaking their molecular bonds. The studies Watson and Crick made were based off of DNA B molecule from the X-ray of DNA B taken by Rosalind Franklin that had low concentration, rather than A DNA which was high in salt concentration that gave Pauling an improper representation of the DNA helix. Pauling and Cory stated that the helix was made of three helices, Watson and Crick disapproved of this concept because phosphate backbones are negatively charged, it was impossible to put three negatively charged strands with each
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Tautomeric forms are when Isomers have different positions of protons and electrons, Hydrogen would transfer and make a single bond to a double bond, and vice versa. In this case, there was a keto-enol tautomerization. This tautomerization could cause mispairing of bases of DNA. For example, there could be an enol tautomer pairs of A and G, T and C, and A and C mispairings. Incorrect base pairing can cause many genetic mutations, including cancer. Watson and Crick assumed that each base pair was in its Keto form instead of Enol form, and that each purine was paired with a pyridine perfectly. They did not address whether or not tautomers could cause a
Understanding DNA can take a lot of studying and confusion to even get the general idea of the concept. The structure of DNA is very complicated and complex to understand, but researchers James Watson, Francis Crick, Maurice Wilkins, and Rosalind Franklin all developed the idea of the DNA structure in 1953. Deoxyribonucleic Acid is found in the nucleus of the cell. It is a double stranded molecule that contains the genetic code and is the main component of chromosomes. DNA is the blueprint of organisms. Nucleotides are the basic unit of DNA and they are made up of sugar, phosphate, and one of the four basis including adenine,
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.
Franklin came very close to realizing this structure. In fact, she had already started to document her work, convinced of the structure; however, there were two key things that she missed. These two things were things she failed to see in her own data, but that Watson and Crick picked up on. The first of the two, which Crick noticed, was the fact that the two strands of DNA run in opposite direction of one another: One goes up and the other goes down. Franklin would have put both strands running in the same direction. Crick picked up on this point from a technical similarity in DNA and the hemoglobin that he was working on [Judson, 1986]. The second point, which Watson discovered, was the unique pairing of the bases in DNA. They are set up such that each strand is complementary to the other and if the two
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.
The article that I found discusses how DNA evidence was used to convict a suspect after twenty years under investigation. The homicide case was recently closed on the rape and murder of Ophelia Preston, a 24 year-old female in Milwaukee County. Preston was deaf and mute and also suffered from a cocaine addiction, which led her to meeting Melvin Lee Jones.
In Time Magazine an article states On February 28 1953, James Watson and Francis Crick broke the DNA code and discovered that the DNA strand is double helix and forms like a ladder. They found that cytosine and guanine were paired together and that adenine and thymine were paired. They discovered the building block of life (Wright, 1999). DNA is found in all living organisms.
How has knowing the structure of the human genome changed the understanding of genetic disorders?
Many people throughout our nation do not know that it was more than Crick and Watson that led to this remarkable discovery through our history. Another aspect that is astonishing is that fact Crick and Watson were so close to giving up on the research of DNA and it's double helix structure. They believed it would impede science and it's research. It held
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
As Watson and Crick become a few steps away from discovering DNA’s structure, the actions they take are arguably justifiable and they realize the significance of this rivalry. After Maurice Wilkins, who works in the same lab as Franklin, gave away Franklin’s work to Watson, and notes: “…that if we could all agree where science was going, everything would be solved,” (170). Maurice brings a good point; if they worked together, DNA’s structure could have been discovered sooner as well as other important mysteries of science. However, certain events would not have occurred and there is an equal chance nothing would have been uncovered. As everything falls into place, every action taken in order for Watson and Crick to reach the answer is reasonable considering that it lead to biology’s greatest structures. In the end, Watson, Crick, and Wilkins receives the Nobel Prize but the reality of what they did to get there is not as straightforward.
Two scientists from Cambridge University named James Watson and Francis Crick were the first ones to actually build the actual structure of the DNA molecule. In building their DNA molecule, they discovered that there were two different types of bases, purines and pyrimidines. Purines were the larger of the two types of bases, and are the double ringed structures [example of nucleotides that fit in this category are adenine (A) and guanine (G)]. Pyrimidines were the smaller of the two types of bases, and are the only single ringed structures [example of nucleotides that fit in this category are cytosine (C) and thymine (T)]. The two scientists also discovered that in the DNA molecule, only two base pairings of nucleotides are possible, adenine (A) with guanine (G) and thymine (T) with cytosine (C). This is because of the improper forming of hydrogen bonds. In a G-C pairing, three hydrogen bonds are formed whereas in an A-T pairing, only two hydrogen bonds are formed.
A stable DNA structure is formed when the two strands are a constant distance apart. This can only occur when a purine (A or G) on one strand is paired with a pyrimidine (T or C) on the other strand. The purine A can only pair up with the pyrimidine T and the purine G can only pair up with the pyrimidine C. Each letter corresponds to a specific nucleotide base. (Wexler 2) A nucleotide is any part of a group of molecules that, when linked together, form the building blocks of DNA or RNA.
Crick believed he discovered the “secret of life” because of the unique and complex structure of DNA, and Crick believed and wrote in a letter to his son that it was the “basic copying mechanism” for life, which is implying that DNA carries genetic information