James D. Watson's The Double Helix

Francis Crick: He does the same research with Watson, they are both teammates. He is also eager to know what is in DNA and the relationship of it with the double-helix.

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.

These institutions, such as the Royal Society of London, were prominent social institutions that allowed for the promotion of the sciences. Henry Oldenburg, a Secretary of the English Royal Society, appreciated the “devotion to truth” of the academics of these societies and expressed the importance of friendship and communication within the scientific domain. These societies were vital to the survival and expansion of sciences and “a great aid to the investigation and elucidation of the truth” (Doc. 6). However, the immense cultural and social influence of the institutions of sharing did not include everyone.

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.

James Watson is an extremely famous molecular biologist, zoologist and geneticist. He is best known for his co- discovery of DNA with fellow scientists Rosalind Franklin and Francis Crick.

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

James D Watson was a brilliant scientist who made important discoveries about the structure of DNA and genealogy. James was very intelligent from the beginning. He graduated from high school at the age of 15 and immediately after he enrolled at the University of Chicago. One of his teachers from Chicago said that Watson “must have been very keen”. He said this because he had given him 2 A’s, and “I don’t give very many A’s.” The famous biologist Paul, Weiss, who was James Watson’s instructor, said “Watson never took any notes in class, yet he came out top of the class at the end of the semester. “

Although Watson can be seen as one of few who have come to express this matter honestly, it is not justifiable by the way he has done so. The phrases used in the novel convey immaturity “ Within a few days of my arrival, we knew what to do; imitate Linus Pauling and beat him at his own game” (pg 32). The interpretation of science being a game continuously arises through out the novel “But if I went back to pure biology, the advantage of our small head start over Linus might suddenly vanish” (pg 84). By expressing science as a competition for personal triumph over other men, can be seen as offensive to those who have invested their life in scientific revelations for knowledge oppose to winning a Noble Prize. Although DNA fascinated Watson, the interested to be the first to gain victory of it was more established.

Watson and Crick discovered that cell’s nucleuses contained a molecule that was called deoxyribonucleic acid, or DNA. The clues from the diary are: “Even us lab boys knew that there had been gossip going around the labs that Crick and Watson had been trying to solve the structure of this new-fangled molecule called DNA – deoxyribonucleic acid – but discovering the secret of life itself?”

"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.

“Science and everyday life cannot and should not be separated” –Rosalind Franklin she thought of science as her life. Rosalind Franklin was one of the leading contributors to what is now known as the DNA theory in today’s society. Ms. Franklin helped lay the groundwork for the research and theories that were later developed by James Dewey Watson and his partner Francis Cricks. The DNA theory as we know it today may not be, had it not been for Rosalind Franklin.

Watson and Crick discovered that cell’s nucleuses contained a molecule that was called deoxyribonucleic acid, or DNA. The clues from the diary are: “Even us lab boys knew that there had been gossip going around the labs that Crick and Watson had been trying to solve the structure of this new-fangled molecule called DNA – deoxyribonucleic acid – but discovering the secret of life itself?”

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.