In Pictures: The race to discover the secrets of DNA
Summary
James Watson and Francis Crick discovered the double helix structure of DNA in 1953. This discovery came after a competitive but friendly race against fellow scientists Maurice Wilkins and Rosalind Franklin. Watson, Crick, and Wilkins later received the Nobel Prize for this work, while Franklin's significant contribution was recognized posthumously.Key Facts
- DNA is a molecule that carries genetic information.
- James Watson and Francis Crick worked at the University of Cambridge on DNA's structure.
- Maurice Wilkins and Rosalind Franklin were also studying DNA at King’s College London.
- Franklin's x-ray image, 'Photo 51,' was crucial to understanding DNA's helical shape.
- Watson and Crick's model showed DNA as two helical chains of nucleotides.
- Watson, Crick, and Wilkins got the Nobel Prize in Medicine in 1962.
- Rosalind Franklin was not awarded the Nobel Prize as she had passed away in 1958.
- Initial models of DNA have been updated, but the double helix concept remains widely accepted.
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