Reference
- ROSALIND FRANKLIN (b. 1920–d. 1958)A British biophysicist, Rosalind Franklin is best known for her contributions to the discovery of the molecular structure of deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA). DNA is the chief substance composing chromosomes and genes, the hereditary material. When Francis Crick, James Watson, and Maurice Wilkins were awarded the 1962 Nobel Prize for physiology or medicine for determining the structure of the DNA molecule, many scientists believed that Franklin should have been honored with them.
Born in London on July 25, 1920, Rosalind Elsie Franklin won a scholarship to Newnham College, Cambridge. After graduation in 1941 she began research on the physical structure of coals and carbonized coals. Working in Paris from 1947 to 1950, she gained skill in using X-ray diffraction as an analytical technique. (X-ray diffraction is a method of analyzing the crystal structure of materials by passing X-rays through them and observing the diffraction, or scattering, image of the rays.) Franklin used this technique to describe the structure of carbons with more precision than had previously been possible. She also determined that there are two distinct classes of carbons—those that form graphite when they are heated to high temperatures and those that do not...
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Perspectives
The Secret of Life
An authoritative history of the race to unravel DNA's structure, by one of our most prominent medical historians. James Watson and Francis Crick's 1953 discovery of the double helix structure of DNA is the foundation of virtually every advance in our modern understanding of genetics and molecular biology. But how did Watson and Crick do it--and why were they the ones who succeeded? In truth, the discovery of DNA's structure is the story of five towering minds in pursuit of the advancement of science, and for almost all of them, the prospect of fame and immortality: Watson, Crick, Rosalind Franklin, Maurice Wilkins, and Linus Pauling. Each was fascinating and brilliant, with strong personalities that often clashed. Howard Markel skillfully re-creates the intense intellectual journey, and fraught personal relationships, that ultimately led to a spectacular breakthrough. But it is Rosalind Franklin--fiercely determined, relentless, and an outsider at Cambridge and the University of London in the 1950s, as the lone Jewish woman among young male scientists--who becomes a focal point for Markel. The Secret of Life is a story of genius and perseverance, but also a saga of cronyism, misogyny, anti-Semitism, and misconduct. Drawing on voluminous archival research, including interviews with James Watson and with Franklin's sister, Jenifer Glynn, Markel provides a fascinating look at how science is done, how reputations are undone, and how history is written, and revised. A vibrant evocation of Cambridge in the 1950s, Markel also provides colorful depictions of Watson and Crick--their competitiveness, idiosyncrasies, and youthful immaturity--and compelling portraits of Wilkins, Pauling, and most cogently, Rosalind Franklin. The Secret of Life is a lively and sweeping narrative of this landmark discovery, one that finally gives the woman at the center of this drama her due.
James Watson, Francis Crick, Rosalind Franklin, and Maurice Wilkins
On April 25, 1953, James Watson and Francis Crick published a groundbreaking article in Nature that revealed the double helix structure of DNA. Their work was based on the findings of Rosalind Franklin and Maurice Wilkins, who were equally as brilliant yet who did not enjoy the same level of recognition for their scientific contributions. Through accessible yet captivating text accompanied by striking images, students will understand the significance of this discovery and get to know the story of the scientists who played a critical role in describing DNA, including how they worked and what motivated them in their pioneering research.
Rosalind Franklin
In March 1953, Maurice Wilkins of King's College, London, announced the departure of his obstructive colleague Rosalind Franklin to rival Cavendish Laboratory scientist Francis Crick. But it was too late. Franklin's unpublished data and crucial photograph of DNA had already been seen by her competitors at the Cambridge University lab. With the aid of these, plus their own knowledge, Watson and Crick discovered the structure of the molecule that genes are composed of -- DNA, the secret of life. Five years later, at the age of thirty-seven, after more brilliant research under J. D. Bernal at Birkbeck College, Rosalind died of ovarian cancer. In 1962, Wilkins, Crick and Watson were awarded the Nobel Prize for their elucidation of DNA's structure. Franklin's part was forgotten until she was caricatured in Watson's book The Double Helix. In this full and balanced biography, Brenda Maddox has been given unique access to Franklin's personal correspondence and has interviewed all the principal scientists involved, including Crick, Watson and Wilkins. This is a powerful story, told by one of the finest biographers, of a remarkably single-minded, forthright and tempestuous young woman who, at the age of fifteen, decided she was going to be a scientist, but who was airbrushed out of the greatest scientific discovery of the twentieth century.
DNA: The Secret of Life?
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Physicist Morris Wilkins uses X-ray diffraction to study the structure of chromosomes. Working with Rosalind Franklin, he photographs the DNA molecule. Watson and Crick use Franklin's photograph 51 to work out the double helix model.
Discovering DNA Structure and Components
- Films on Demand This link opens in a new windowThe biochemist Erwin Chargaff developed a method to study the chemical composition of DNA. Nitrogen bases are the main components: Adenine, Thymine, Guanine, and Cytosine. Rosalind Franklin took x-ray diffraction photos of DNA and from these, Watson and Crick derived the structure.
Rosalind Franklin's DNA Research
- Films on Demand This link opens in a new windowRosalind Franklin leaves Paris. At King's College in London she meets with Professor Randall. She works independently on DNA research.
Online Resources
- Rosalind Franklin and the Discovery of the Structure of DNA: Using Historical Narratives to Help Students Understand Nature of ScienceIssues associated with nature of science (NOS) have long been recognized as an essential component of scientific literacy. While consensus exists regarding the importance of an explicit reflective approach, precisely how to teach NOS remains elusive. The present study explores one particularly promising approach, namely the use of historical narratives. The purpose of the study was to examine whether narratives based on the history of research on the structure of DNA shared using an explicit and reflective approach would affect students’ understandings of NOS. A mixed method approach was used to assess students’ NOS understanding in two different versions of a biology course. In the intervention version, students learned about research on the structure of DNA through historical narratives. In the alternative version, students learned the same material without historical narratives. The Student Understanding of Science and Scientific Inquiry (SUSSI) instrument was administered pre- and post- intervention to all students. Semi-structured interviews with a total of 27 participants from both treatments were conducted to further clarify students’ responses. Results indicate that most of the participants in the intervention treatment made significant changes from pre- to post-assessment in their understanding of two targeted aspects of NOS including scientists’ use of creativity and imagination, and social and cultural influences on science. Female participants in the intervention treatment also stated that learning about Rosalind Franklin’s contributions by way of the story had given them additional confidence to learn science.
- Rosalind Franklin was so much more than the 'wronged heroine' of DNAAt the centre of Rosalind Franklin's tombstone in London's Willesden Jewish Cemetery is the word "scientist". This is followed by the inscription, "Her research and discoveries on viruses remain of lasting benefit to mankind."
As one of the twentieth century's pre-eminent scientists, Franklin's work has benefited all of humanity. The one-hundredth anniversary of her birth this month is prompting much reflection on her career and research contributions, not least Franklin's catalytic role in unravelling the structure of DNA.
She is best known for an X-ray diffraction image that she and her graduate student Raymond Gosling published in 19531 , which was key to the determination of the DNA double helix...
Rosalind Franklin's Plans
- Films on Demand This link opens in a new windowPeter Pauling joins Watson and Crick. They ask questions about Linus Pauling's work. Franklin discusses her work with Vittorio. She ponders her feelings about leaving her DNA work to Wilkins.