Image Credit: Britannica
EARLY LIFE
Rosalind Elsie Franklin was born July 25, 1920, in London, England. Throughout her childhood, she displayed great intelligence and had aspirations of becoming a scientist at the age of 15. Rosalind Franklin (second to the right) with her four siblings – Image credits: BBC
Franklin attended Newnham College of the University of Cambridge, majoring in physical chemistry. She showed great resilience as a young woman, continuing with her education amidst World War II. Franklin was able to complete her degree in the middle of this destructive war.
Rosalind Franklin (second to the right) with her four siblings – Image credits: BBC
DOUBLE HELIX DISCOVERY
In 1950, Franklin joined John T. Randall’s laboratory at King’s College. It was here that she discovered DNA’s double helix.
The science behind the discovery
At King’s College, Franklin was provided with a highly pure DNA sample in the laboratory of John T. Randall. Once she extracted water from the DNA, she found that the structure of the fiber had quasicrystalline (non-periodic, orderly, repetitive) properties. She labeled this the A-form. With the aid of X-ray diagrams, Franklin was able to add water to the A-form. She proved that when water was extracted, the structure completely changed. She demonstrated that DNA molecules occurred in two forms: A-form and B-form, the difference being their water content. A-DNA is dehydrated, and B-DNA is hydrated. She, along with Ph.D. student Raymond Gosling, captured a high-quality image of the B-DNA.
A-form DNA (left) and B-form DNA (right) in Franklin’s x-ray images. Photo credit: Wellcome Collection
A-form DNA (left) and B-form DNA (right) in Franklin’s x-ray images. Photo credit: Wellcome Collection
Maurice Wilkins
Similarly to Rosalind Franklin, Maurice Wilkins, an educated physicist, began to work on the DNA issue at King’s College. His plan was to study DNA by x-ray crystallographic techniques and implemented said techniques after he began working with Franklin, appointed by John T. Randall. While both were extremely talented, they did not get along.
Watson and Crick
An American man named James Watson arrived at Cambridge in 1951. When he arrived, he had a bachelor’s degree and a doctorate’s degree in zoology. He came to work at the Cavendish Laboratory in which x-ray crystallographic projects were already in progress. Francis Crick, a physicist in biology, was eager to work with Watson on the DNA conundrum. Together, they created their own model of DNA.
James Watson (left) and Francis Crick (right). Image credit: The Guardian
OVERSHADOWED
So, how were James Watson and Francis Crick create their own model of DNA? They used the high-quality images from Franklin’s X-ray images without her consent. They gained access to these images, the backbone of DNA’s structure as we know it now.
In 1962, the Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine was awarded to Maurice Wilkins, James Watson, and Francis Crick. Unfortunately, on April 16, 1958, Rosalind Franklin died due to ovarian cancer, 4 years before the Nobel Prize in Medicine was given out.
TODAY
Today, credit often goes to James Watson and Francis Crick for being the first people to discover DNA’s structure. However, the discovery of the double-helix structure would have never been possible without Franklin’s groundbreaking images. Franklin never gave permission for Watson and Crick to use her images, nor did she know about it. It is imperative that we recognize Franklin’s work and how she has influenced modern science.
Rosalind Franklin.
Image credit: PBS
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