The Double Helix: The Story Of Rosalind Franklin

The story of Rosalind Franklin not only emphasizes the important role od women in the field of science, it also discusses the challenges and obstacles that woman of science faced and continue to face. Although Watson and Crick worked to study the structure of DNA, they would not have been able to complete their research without the Photo 51; a photo stolen from Rosalind Franklin. Although Franklin was so integral to the discovery of the structure of DNA and her work was stolen from her, she was portrayed as a villainous character by James Watson in, “The Double Helix”. Watson used her absence due to her death at the age of 37 as a means of lambasting her and padding his achievements though he knew that the achievement belonged to Rosalind Franklin as much as it did to him. Watson even went as far as to diminish the role of Crick and others who assisted in such an arduous discovery. Photo 51 shares the true story of Rosalind Franklin and the significant contribution she made to the field of Biology, science, and the world at large. …show more content…
It is the most fundamental building block of which all living organisms are made of. DNA was first identified in the 1800’s by Johann Friedrich Miescher. Though experimentation he was able to separate a solution, which he called nuclein, from white blood cells. due to technological limitations, it was not possible for Miescher or his fellow academics to discover the true role ‘nuclein’ plays in the development of life. Although the presence of DNA was known, its role and structure were still a mystery. Watson and Crick set out toe discover the true structure of this elusive molecule in an attempt to gain a deeper understanding into its role and