In the spring of 1953 James Watson and Francis Crick discovered the true structure of deoxyribose nucleic acid (DNA) utilizing theoretical chemistry and borrowed X-ray crystallography images. They postulated that the structure of DNA contained two helical chains that run in opposite directions of one another. They also stated, in contrast to Linus Pauling’s structure, that due to the repulsive forces between the negatively charged phosphate groups the nitrogenous bases would be located on the inside and the phosphate substituents on the outside (Crick). This monumental discovery fueled the creation of new forms of molecular biology specifically aimed at knowing the action of a gene.
James Watson was born in Chicago in 1928; where he also received both his B.S. and Ph.D. in Zoology from the University of Chicago. In 1951,Watson’s first postdoctoral year, he journeyed to a symposium in Naples and saw for the first time the X-ray diffraction pattern of DNA, courtesy of Maurice Wilkins. From that point Watson made a decision to shift his research toward structural chemistry of nucleic acids and protein. Later in …show more content…
As early as 1944 Oswald Avery had confirmed that DNA was the carrier of hereditary information. Alexander Todd, an organic chemist, confirmed that the backbone of DNA contained repeating sugar and phosphate groups. Erwin Chargaff discovered that the nitrogenous bases adenine and thymine appeared in a 1:1 ratio, along with guanine and cytosine. Maurice Wilkins and Rosaline Franklin had proposed the corkscrew like shape of DNA when viewing X-ray images of DNA. Linus Pauling had even gone so far as to suggest his own 3-stranded structure of DNA (The Francis Crick Papers). Until Watson and Crick had published their findings in Nature for the structure of DNA it must have felt like a sprint to the finish for all scientist
James Watson was born in Chicago in 1928; where he also received both his B.S. and Ph.D. in Zoology from the University of Chicago. In 1951,Watson’s first postdoctoral year, he journeyed to a symposium in Naples and saw for the first time the X-ray diffraction pattern of DNA, courtesy of Maurice Wilkins. From that point Watson made a decision to shift his research toward structural chemistry of nucleic acids and protein. Later in …show more content…
As early as 1944 Oswald Avery had confirmed that DNA was the carrier of hereditary information. Alexander Todd, an organic chemist, confirmed that the backbone of DNA contained repeating sugar and phosphate groups. Erwin Chargaff discovered that the nitrogenous bases adenine and thymine appeared in a 1:1 ratio, along with guanine and cytosine. Maurice Wilkins and Rosaline Franklin had proposed the corkscrew like shape of DNA when viewing X-ray images of DNA. Linus Pauling had even gone so far as to suggest his own 3-stranded structure of DNA (The Francis Crick Papers). Until Watson and Crick had published their findings in Nature for the structure of DNA it must have felt like a sprint to the finish for all scientist