The Discovery Of The Dna Double Helix - 1913 Words

The discovery of the DNA double helix is known to be accredited to James Watson and Francis Crick. Watson describes the events that led up to the discovery in his book The Double Helix. Although they both have put in a significant amount of time and work to find the structure of DNA, one individual who was key to putting their pieces together was Rosalind Franklin. Considering Franklin’s efforts and contributions to the X-ray diffraction images of DNA, which have helped Watson and Crick with their model building and discovery of the DNA double helix, Watson fails to give credit where credit is due. I thoroughly enjoyed reading Watson’s book because it showed the way in which Watson perceived his journey in how he came to discover the DNA structure. Watson and Crick went through countless trials and errors trying to figure out the structure of DNA and each error lead them closer to solving this mystery and staying ahead of their competitors, namely Linus Pauling. Their first conundrum was the arrangement of the four bases around the sugar-phosphate backbone. He referred to J.N. Davidson’s book The Biochemistry of Nucleic Acids for the base formulas (Watson 182). At first, Watson hypothesized whether â€Å"the chains would be held together by hydrogen bonds or by salt linkages involving the negatively charged phosphate groups† (Watson 53). He made several observations based on his hypothesis about the four types of nucleotides in DNA. One was that â€Å"one or more hydrogen atoms onShow MoreRelatedThe Discovery Of The Double Helix And Dna979 Words   |  4 PagesDNA is the central dogma of modern biology, it is present in all living things from bacteria to mammals. DNA carries the genetic information of the organism and is used in processes like mitosis, meiosis and protein production. The reason as to why I chose this topic specifically is because it is central to my favourite aspect of biology, genetics. Prior to the discover of the double helix and DNA itself there was some information and experiments done on genetics with what little knowledge theyRead MoreYu Sun Park. Dr. Murphy. Lab Section 4. Discovery Of Dna1394 Words   |  6 Pagessection 4 Discovery of DNA double helix: Related to both Scientific and Humane Aspects DNA, the molecule of life that carries genetic information in humans and almost all other organisms, has been considered as one of the greatest discoveries until now. If DNA could not have been discovered, we would not be able to do or test numerous things such as paternity test and pathological confirmation. There are four main scientists who contributed their lives, knowledge, and ambitions to find out the DNA doubleRead MoreThe Characters In James Watsons The Double Helix1521 Words   |  7 Pages The Double Helix Essay In James Watson’s The Double Helix, there are four main scientists that all work towards the discovery of the double helix. These four people discovered the double helix and forever changed biology. Their names are James D. Watson, Francis Crick, Rosalind Franklin, and Maurice Wilkins. The winners of the Nobel prize in real life were James D. Watson, Francis Crick, and Maurice Wilkins. Rosalind was ineligible to receive the reward because she died prior to the award beingRead Moreresearch studies Essay1521 Words   |  7 Pagesï » ¿ Irahani, Shara-aisa A. BEEd-I EdSci 102-A Feb. 18, 2014 â€Å"Race for the Double-Helix† What were your first impressions of the main characters? James Watson: An American biologist man who has a research about the DNA. For me, James Watson at first was a bit weird guy because of the way he stared and looked at people around him. He is a mysterious guy and a bit naughty to the ladies he has seen. As one of the character said, he is the â€Å"boy-wonderer†. He is alsoRead MoreCharles Crick And James Watson On The Structure Of The Complex Molecule Known As Dna Essay1293 Words   |  6 PagesCrick and James Watson for formulating the structure of the complex molecule known as DNA. These discoveries were a direct result of the accumulation of many scientists’ earlier analyses and findings of the DNA. Before Watson and Crick had developed the double-helical structure of DNA, indication of this genetic material had been revealed around the 1850’s. During the century following the first evidence of DNA, subsequent researchers had been eagerly examining the physical and chemical componentsRead MoreThe Theory Of The Double Helix1321 Words   |  6 PagesAs demonstrated in The Double Helix, a significant process used to make a discovery is working together with other scientists and get more information from them by learning about the results from each lab. Francis and Watson would constantly communicate their ideas and theories with each other for feedback which in return helped them gain more information that could be applied to their models. They will share their ideas with other scientists to help further develop and refine their theories. InRead MoreThe Discovery In 1953 Of The Double Helix, The Twisted-Ladder1608 Words   |  7 PagesThe discovery in 1953 of the double helix, the twisted-ladder structure of deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA), by James Watson and Francis Crick marked a milestone in the history of science and gave rise to modern molecular biology, which is largely concerned with understanding how genes control the chemical processes within cells. In short order, their discover y yielded ground-breaking insights into the genetic code and protein synthesis. During the 1970s and 1980s, it helped to produce new and powerfulRead MoreA Research Study On Dna1322 Words   |  6 Pagesentirely based on DNA (deoxyribonucleic acid), the relatively recently discovered molecule that â€Å"forms the molecular basis for heredity†. In specific, the project to be undertaken focuses on genes, specific sections of DNA, that are responsible for communicating to an organism â€Å"instructions for synthesizing every protein† an organism would require. In the middle of the nineteenth century, a large amount of scientists were involved in the search for the structure of the all-important DNA molecules. TheRead MoreThe Double Helix Dna ( Deoxyribonucleic Acid ) Structure1724 Words   |  7 Pagesgreatest minds of the last century and arguably the biggest step in to creating the double helix DNA (deoxyribonucleic acid) structure. It goes without saying, that the ba sis of human life and why we are the way we are, is due to the DNA that is found on the double Helix. We can see all of our traits from our skin colour all the way to nail thickness, which are a combination of traits from both our parents. The DNA structure also allows us to view where elements come in to play and how our geneticRead MoreThe Contributions Of Rosalind Franklin940 Words   |  4 Pagescontribution as a result of her work with DNA. Prior to this time, DNA was still a mystery in how impactful its purpose could be to society and the growing age of science and technology. DNA became of importance to learn about the foundation in relation to genetic and hereditary. Without the contribution of Franklin, todays understanding of the DNA structure would not exist. Rosalind Franklin died before the Nobel Peace Prize was given for the discovery of DNA. If she been alive, her receipt of the