Rosalind Franklin and DNA Structure

• Rosalind Franklin was a British chemist.
• Her work was vital to discovering the structure of DNA.
• Her work was largely overlooked in her lifetime.
• Born in London in 1920.
• Graduated from Cambridge University in 1941 with a degree in physical chemistry.
• Took a research post studying the chemical structure of coal and graphite.
• Earned her doctorate from Cambridge in 1945.
• Moved to Paris in 1947.
• Studied X-ray crystallography, using X-rays to examine the crystalline form of substances.
• Determined the molecular structure.
• Her expertise enabled her to make a crucial contribution to one of the biggest scientific conundrums of the 20th century.
• During the 1950s, a number of scientists were in a "race" to discover the molecular structure of DNA, the chemical found inside all living things and encodes genetic information
• In 1951, James Watson and Francis Crick were attempting to do the same thing as Franklin in Cambridge
• In 1951, Franklin began photographing strands of DNA at King's College, London.
• A group of physicists, biologists, and biochemists were helping pioneer biophysics, using physics to study biological molecules at King's College

Milestones

• 1942: Became a researcher for BCURA, the British Coal Utilization Research Association.
• 1947: Trained under French engineer Jacques Mering and became an X-ray crystallographer.
• 1951: Asked to head X-ray research at King's College, London, without the knowledge of post-holder Maurice Wilkins.
• 1952: Produced the first sharp image of crystalline DNA, which revealed its double helix shape.
• 1953: Moved to Birkbeck College, London, and led groundbreaking studies into major crop viruses.
• "Science and everyday life cannot and should not be separated." - Rosalind Franklin, 1940

Learn about Rosalind Franklin, a British chemist. Her work was vital to discovering the structure of DNA, but it was largely overlooked in her lifetime. She Studied X-ray crystallography and contributed to understanding DNA.