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On April 25, 1953, James Watson and Francis Crick published their model of DNA's double helix structure in Nature — described as 'the most significant paper in the history of biology.' Their model showed how DNA stores genetic information and how it replicates — solving the central mystery of heredity. Crucially, it was based on X-ray crystallography data from Rosalind Franklin and Maurice Wilkins.
Franklin's contribution — particularly Photo 51, her X-ray image of DNA — was used without her knowledge or consent; she was not included in the 1962 Nobel Prize (awarded to Watson, Crick, and Wilkins) as she had died in 1958 and the Nobel is not awarded posthumously. The injustice to Franklin has become a major case study in science history.
# Top 10 DNA Structure facts
- 1Rosalind Franklin's X-ray Photo 51 was the key evidence for Watson and Crick's model — used without her knowledge
- 2Watson and Crick's original Nature paper was just 900 words — among the most consequential papers ever written
- 3The DNA double helix is 2 nanometers wide — 25,000 times thinner than a human hair
Fascinating Facts
- ◆Rosalind Franklin's X-ray Photo 51 was the key evidence for Watson and Crick's model — used without her knowledge
- ◆Watson and Crick's original Nature paper was just 900 words — among the most consequential papers ever written
- ◆The DNA double helix is 2 nanometers wide — 25,000 times thinner than a human hair
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