DNA Research and Photograph 51 Overview

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Questions and Answers

Maurice Wilkins won a Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine in ______.

1962

Rosalind Franklin’s research on X-ray diffraction images of DNA was crucial for ______ and Crick’s work.

Watson

A $13,000 grant was awarded to study the ______ virus.

polio

Maurice Wilkins was born in ______ but raised in the UK.

New Zealand Signup and view all the answers

It took ______ hours to produce an X-ray photo of DNA.

51 Signup and view all the answers

Photograph 51 revealed that DNA was a ______ composed of two strands.

helix Signup and view all the answers

Rosalind Franklin produced Photograph 51 in the year ______.

1952 Signup and view all the answers

Maurice Wilkins took over DNA research at ______ College, London.

King's Signup and view all the answers

The model proposed by Franklin for the tobacco mosaic virus (TMV) was later proven to be ______.

correct Signup and view all the answers

Crick and Watson used Photograph 51 to uncover DNA's ______ helix structure.

double Signup and view all the answers

Rosalind Franklin was a British ______ whose work on the structure of DNA was crucial.

chemist Signup and view all the answers

Franklin graduated from the University of ______ in 1941 with a degree in physical chemistry.

Cambridge Signup and view all the answers

In 1951, Franklin started photographing ______ strands at King's College London.

DNA Signup and view all the answers

In 1952, Franklin produced the first clear image of crystalline ______.

DNA Signup and view all the answers

Franklin's expertise allowed her to examine the crystalline form of substances using ______ crystallography.

X-ray Signup and view all the answers

Franklin's work extended to other areas, including ______ viruses.

crop Signup and view all the answers

In 1951, she led X-ray research at King's College ______.

London Signup and view all the answers

Franklin famously stated that 'Science and everyday life cannot and should not be ______.'

separated Signup and view all the answers

Study Notes

Photograph 51 and DNA Research

Maurice Wilkins, a New Zealand-born biophysicist who had lived in the UK, took over DNA research at King's College, London in the 1950s.
Rosalind Franklin, a British Chemist, created Photograph 51 in 1952, the first clear image of the structure of DNA.
The image showed that DNA’s two strands twist together.
Franklin proposed that the backbone of the DNA molecule is on the outside.
In 1953, Francis Crick and James Watson used Photograph 51, without Franklin’s knowledge, to discover DNA's double helix structure.

Maurice Wilkins's Career and Contribution

Maurice Wilkins studied at Cambridge and Birmingham universities.
He worked on the Manhattan project during World War II.
Wilkins joined the biophysics unit at King’s College, London in 1946, where he used X-ray imaging to study DNA fibers.
He shared the Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine in 1962 with Francis Crick and James Watson for their research on the structure of DNA.
Wilkins's DNA research was partially a collaboration with Rosalind Franklin, a relationship that was described as “unhappy”.

Rosalind Franklin's Career and Contribution

Rosalind Franklin was a British chemist whose research was crucial for understanding DNA.
Franklin was an X-ray crystallographer, a specialist in using X-ray diffraction imaging to determine the structure of substances.
Her research led to the first clear picture of the crystalline structure of DNA in 1952, which later provided critical confirmation and direction for further research.
Franklin's expertise was vital for establishing a key scientific breakthrough of the 20th century.
While working at King's College, London, she created Photograph 51, an X-ray image of DNA that showed its double helix structure.
In 1953, she moved to Birkbeck College in London, where she studied the molecular structure of tobacco mosaic virus and the polio virus.
She passed away in 1958 and was not eligible for the 1962 Nobel Prize.

Financial Support for Research

Franklin received a $13,000 grant to study the polio virus.
She also benefitted from a $4,000 bequest to support the work of a scientist, Aaron Klug.

Additional Information

Creating an X-ray photograph took between 51 and 60 hours.

Early Life and Career

Rosalind Franklin was born in London in 1920.
She graduated from the University of Cambridge with a degree in physical chemistry in 1941.
She conducted research on the structure of coal and graphite.
She received her doctorate from Cambridge in 1945.
In 1947, she moved to Paris and focused on X-ray crystallography.

Rosalind Franklin's Contributions to the DNA Race

In 1951, she began taking X-ray photographs of DNA fibers at King’s College, London.
At the same time, James Watson and Francis Crick were also studying DNA.
She made a breakthrough discovery when she created the first clear image of crystalline DNA in 1952, using X-ray crystallography, which revealed the double helix structure.
Her work also extended to other areas of biological science, including crop viruses.

Key Career Milestones

In 1942, she joined the British Coal Utilization Research Association (BCURA).
She trained under Jacques Mering in 1947, becoming an X-ray crystallographer.
In 1951, she led X-ray research at King's College London, without the knowledge of Maurice Wilkins.
In 1953, she moved to Birkbeck College, where she focused on research on major crop viruses.

Quote by Rosalind Franklin

"Science and everyday life cannot and should not be separated."

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Description

Explore the groundbreaking contributions of Maurice Wilkins and Rosalind Franklin in DNA research. Discover how Photograph 51 played a crucial role in unveiling the double helix structure of DNA and the significance of their work in the scientific community. Test your knowledge of these pivotal figures in biophysics and chemistry.