Rediscovering DNA
In the 1950’s the race to discover the structure of DNA was on. Many scientists of all backgrounds were attempting to be the first to unlock the key of life, the structure of the molecule that codes for all of our genes. Because of this race, people were protective and extremely competitive in their research. The final winners of this race to discovery were know at the time to be James Watson and Francis Crick. While their methods of discovery may not have been clean cut, they were the first people to put all the pieces of the puzzle together. Pieces that were taken from others to make a puzzle with their names written across the front. The final key to their discovery wasn’t discovered by them at all. In fact, the final key …show more content…
Watson had previously gotten his PhD at Indiana University. He wasn’t known to be the best chemist, but chose to do research in nucleotides. This eventually lead him to DNA (19). Francis Crick was known to be an exceptional lecturer (Olby, Francis Crick: Hunter of Life 's Secrets, 294). Watson attended one of Crick’s lectures, and left a positive review (Olby, Francis Crick: Hunter of Life’s Secrets, 295). After Watson and Crick initially met, they eventually decided to work together. With their combined experience “they decided not to focus on x-ray crystallography”, but instead chose to build models of the molecule (Moitra 20). The model building focus left them with a need for the facts. In order to build an accurate model, Watson and Crick needed research to base the model off of. After speaking with an x-ray crystallographer, Maurice Wilkins, Watson and Crick decide to attend a lecture given by Rosalind Franklin, Wilkins’ Partner (Moitra 21-22). Their meeting with Wilkins lead them to believe that Rosalind’s lecture may open up new ideas to the structure of …show more content…
The improved structure was recognized as the official structure of DNA. Although Watson and Crick used this photo, they may not have had the right to: “As Watson was to write candidly, ‘Rosy, of course, did not directly give us her data. For that matter, no one at King’s realized they were in our hands.’” (Maddox 407). Watson and Crick Later admit “that they could not have discovered the double helix of DNA in the early months of 1953 without her work” (Maddox 408). Rosalind died in 1958, before getting recognition and a possibility tot the Nobel prize Watson and Crick won in 1962 (Swaby 108). The discovery of DNA “paved the way for modern genetics” (Gibbons 63). Although this discovery was first thought of to be entirely due to Watson and Crick’s research, “Franklin herself was not aware of how much her research had contributed to Watson and Crick’s discovery’ (Gibbons
In the 1950’s the race to discover the structure of DNA was on. Many scientists of all backgrounds were attempting to be the first to unlock the key of life, the structure of the molecule that codes for all of our genes. Because of this race, people were protective and extremely competitive in their research. The final winners of this race to discovery were know at the time to be James Watson and Francis Crick. While their methods of discovery may not have been clean cut, they were the first people to put all the pieces of the puzzle together. Pieces that were taken from others to make a puzzle with their names written across the front. The final key to their discovery wasn’t discovered by them at all. In fact, the final key …show more content…
Watson had previously gotten his PhD at Indiana University. He wasn’t known to be the best chemist, but chose to do research in nucleotides. This eventually lead him to DNA (19). Francis Crick was known to be an exceptional lecturer (Olby, Francis Crick: Hunter of Life 's Secrets, 294). Watson attended one of Crick’s lectures, and left a positive review (Olby, Francis Crick: Hunter of Life’s Secrets, 295). After Watson and Crick initially met, they eventually decided to work together. With their combined experience “they decided not to focus on x-ray crystallography”, but instead chose to build models of the molecule (Moitra 20). The model building focus left them with a need for the facts. In order to build an accurate model, Watson and Crick needed research to base the model off of. After speaking with an x-ray crystallographer, Maurice Wilkins, Watson and Crick decide to attend a lecture given by Rosalind Franklin, Wilkins’ Partner (Moitra 21-22). Their meeting with Wilkins lead them to believe that Rosalind’s lecture may open up new ideas to the structure of …show more content…
The improved structure was recognized as the official structure of DNA. Although Watson and Crick used this photo, they may not have had the right to: “As Watson was to write candidly, ‘Rosy, of course, did not directly give us her data. For that matter, no one at King’s realized they were in our hands.’” (Maddox 407). Watson and Crick Later admit “that they could not have discovered the double helix of DNA in the early months of 1953 without her work” (Maddox 408). Rosalind died in 1958, before getting recognition and a possibility tot the Nobel prize Watson and Crick won in 1962 (Swaby 108). The discovery of DNA “paved the way for modern genetics” (Gibbons 63). Although this discovery was first thought of to be entirely due to Watson and Crick’s research, “Franklin herself was not aware of how much her research had contributed to Watson and Crick’s discovery’ (Gibbons