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Rosalind Franklin: An Unsung Hero in DNA Discovery

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Who discovered the double helix structure of DNA? Were they really Watson and Crick?

For years, we have been told that the famous "Double Helix" structure of the DNA was discovered by two scientists, James Watson and Francis Crick and for that, they even won a Nobel Prize along with the other scientist, Maurice Wilkins. But was it really a true story? First of all, what is DNA?

DNA (Deoxyribonucleic Acid):

DNA, an abbreviation for "Deoxyribonucleic Acid" is a chain (well, two chains) of molecules or deoxyribose sugars (Adenine, Guanine, Cytosine, Thymine). It is an essential constituent of chromosomes that make up almost every cell of our bodies. From hair color to eye color, height, skin color, and even genetic diseases and disorders, DNA plays a vital part in our bodies.




Structure of DNA:

Before 1952, nobody knew the real structure of DNA. Scientists were trying hard to chalk out, and research was in full swing then. One female scientist, Rosalind Franklin, working at King's  College, London, as an X-Ray Crystallographer, was also studying the structure of DNA with her colleague Maurice Wilkins.

Rosalind Franklin:

She graduated in 1941 with a degree in natural sciences and then enrolled for a Ph.D. in physical chemistry at the University of Cambridge where she studied coal that had earned her Ph.D. After that, she moved to Paris in 1947 where she became an accomplished X-Ray Crystallographer. Later on, she joined King's College in 1951 as a research associate. 

Rosalind Franklin



Research for DNA in 1951:

After joining King's College, London, Franklin was working with a colleague named Maurice Wilkins and her student Raymond Gosling. She was working on the fine structure of DNA through the X-Ray crystallography technique. Other scientists and researchers were also working very hard to achieve the image, two of them named James Watson and Francis Crick.

Maurice Wilkins
Maurice Wilkins

James Watson and Francis Crick:

Two young scientists, James Watson, a Ph.D. in Genetics, and Francis Crick, a bachelor's in Physics started working at Cavendish Laboratory to tackle the same challenge as other scientists. They were collecting different images and photographs of the DNA to finalize the one and only perfect image that would be the biggest discovery of the century and that would change the course of biological research and biotechnology.

Watson and Crick



Working with Maurice Wilkins:

Nobody knows the real intentions of their acquaintances, lab partners, or even their closest friends. Maurice Wilkins, although a very talented scientist, was burning with jealousy for Rosalind Franklin and her rather stubborn behavior. On the opposite side, James Watson and Francis Crick were working days and nights to achieve a stunning image of the structure of DNA. Rosalind Franklin, by that time, had achieved the DNA image by X-Ray diffraction that was named the legendary "Photo 51" in history. On the other hand, Wilkins, without Franklin's permission, gave that image to Watson and Crick that had changed the whole story and stopped all the research because, that one final image, had been achieved! The Double Helix Structure of the DNA was discovered!

Photo 51





Conclusion:

Who was the real discoverer of the DNA's fine structure? Was it only Rosalind Franklin? Watson and Crick? Or even Maurice Wilkins? We cannot simply say that Franklin deserves all of the credit because Watson and Crick were already working on the image, Franklin's image cut off their work by most probably 75% and completed their research. Franklin alone did not have any idea what she had discovered, and her work was fuel for Watson and Crick. Franklin, along with Watson and Crick, deserves the Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine that was given to Wilkins instead. Although we cannot debate more on that because Rosalind Franklin died before the Nobel Prize was awarded.

James Watson About Rosalind Franklin:

"She provided some crucial pieces of information.  Her great handicap, which I would now say we would use the term Asperger’s, she didn’t know how to deal with other people; didn’t know how to ask for help. And, if anything, probably paranoid about people stealing her data." (September 28, 2010)





Location: Karachi, Karachi City, Sindh, Pakistan

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