The Importance of the Structure of Dna

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.

Discoveries in DNA, cell biology, evolution, biotechnology have been among the major achievements in biology over the past 200 years with accelerated discoveries and insights over the last 50 years. Consider the progress we have made in these areas of human knowledge. Present at least three of the discoveries you find to be most important and describe their significance to society, health, and the culture of modern life.

Throughout the early 19th and 20th century, many scientists have studied deoxyribonucleic acids in order to attain higher understanding over the matter. Johann G. Mendel had figured out and understood the laws of heredity. Friedrich Miescher amazingly discovered DNA in 1869, even though scientists did not understand DNA was the genetic material

The author explains the basics of DNA by describing the simple part of it, “proteins are the molecules that do all of the work in every organism, from carrying oxygen, to building tissue, to copying DNA for the next generation” (Carroll 73). He also explained the four bases that are building blocks that are held together by strong bonds and are represented by the letters A, C, G and T. Scientist also learned that A and T always pair with each other as well as G and C, this helps them because if they know one strand of DNA they already know the second because of how the bases match up. The author states that scientists have found about 500 genes that exist in all forms of life, the author explains that these genes are “immortal”. These genes have endured millions of years of evolution and have not been mutated because they are essential for every organism to have; these genes can have important jobs such as decoding of the DNA and RNA and making

In the early 1950s, the race to find the structure of DNA was in full swing. The search was being conducted at three different colleges. At the California Institute of Technology, Linus Pauling,

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.

As the building block of life, cells contain unbelievable amounts of genetic information, as well as perform functions any living being needs in order to survive. Since a lot of people struggle with such a complex statement, Joshua Z. Rappoport develops the scholarly text, The Cell, on,”discovering the microscopic world that determines our health, our consciousness, and our future,”(front cover). Other than this text, many others publish their works in the past on this subject; some of which are Nobel Peace Prize winners. Within chapter one, “A Day the World Changed”, Rapporport refers to Robert Hooke who uses a microscope in the 1660s to examine a slice of cork, and in the end “what he saw changed human understanding of the world in a way

"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

While some looked to the cosmos, there were others more interested in the smallest details. The discovery of the microscope marked the beginning of modern biology, as this instrument helped boost biological studies and exposed the universe of tiny

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?”

“This is the best proof that DNA exists in a double helix structure, though it only shows it qualitatively.” I responded. It had long been a mystery at how DNA, or deoxyribonucleic acid, was regarded, and how it was able to perform actions, like translating, replicating, etc. on a large scale with minimal error. This was just the spark that we needed to finally comprehend the structure of DNA. Not long after, Crick and I

Although DNA was initially observed by Frederich Miescher, a German biochemist near the end of the nineteenth century, the key to the structure of DNA was not discovered until almost a hundred years later. It was at that time that science realized the importance of DNA to the study of biology.

Deoxyribonucleic (DNA) is the molecule that hold the genetic information of living things. In our body every cell contains about 2 meters of DNA. DNA is copied every time a cell divides. Deoxyribonucleic (DNA) is made up of two polynucleotide strands. Polynucleotide strands twist around each other, forming a shape that looks like a ladder called a double helix. The two polynucleotide strands run antiaparallel to each other with nitrogenous bases this means that the stands run in opposite directions, parallel to one another. The DNA molecule consists of two backbones chains of sugars and phosphate groups. The organic bases held together by hydrogen bonds. Although bases bonded together are termed paired

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.