Did Watson and Crick really discover DNA?
They did not discover DNA – it was first identified in 1869 – but until 1953 no one had known what it did. Watson and Crick demonstrated how DNA carries the genetic code that determines the...
How was DNA discovered by James Watson?
Selected books published
- James D. Watson, The Annotated and Illustrated Double Helix, edited by Alexander Gann and Jan Witkowski (2012) Simon & Schuster, ISBN 978-1-4767-1549-0.
- Watson, J. D. (1968). ...
- Watson, J. D. (1981). ...
- Watson, J. D.; Baker, T. A.; Bell, S. ...
- Watson, J. D. (2002). ...
- Watson, J. D.; Berry, A. (2003). ...
- Watson, J.D. (2007). ...
What did James Watson do with DNA?
What did James Watson do with DNA? Suddenly, in the spring of 1953, Watson saw that the essential DNA components—four organic bases—must be linked in definite pairs. This discovery was the key factor that enabled Watson and Crick to formulate a molecular model for DNA —a double helix, which can be likened to a spiraling staircase or a ...
What did Watson and Crick do after they discovered DNA?
Watson subsequently presented a paper on the double-helical structure of DNA at the 18th Cold Spring Harbor Symposium on Viruses in early June 1953, six weeks after the publication of the Watson and Crick paper in Nature. Many at the meeting had not yet heard of the discovery.
Who first discovered DNA?
Friedrich MiescherMany people believe that American biologist James Watson and English physicist Francis Crick discovered DNA in the 1950s. In reality, this is not the case. Rather, DNA was first identified in the late 1860s by Swiss chemist Friedrich Miescher.
What did James D Watson discover?
James Watson, in full James Dewey Watson, (born April 6, 1928, Chicago, Illinois, U.S.), American geneticist and biophysicist who played a crucial role in the discovery of the molecular structure of deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA), the substance that is the basis of heredity.
Who actually discovered DNA if it wasn't Watson and Crick?
Rosalind Elsie FranklinAt age 15, Rosalind Elsie Franklin knew that she wanted to be a scientist, but little did she know the enormous impact her work would have upon the world. She contributed to a groundbreaking discovery in genetics that would forever be remembered in the history of science – but without her name attached.
Who discovered the DNA helix?
At King's College London, Rosalind Franklin obtained images of DNA using X-ray crystallography, an idea first broached by Maurice Wilkins. Franklin's images allowed James Watson and Francis Crick to create their famous two-strand, or double-helix, model. In 1962 Watson (b.
How was DNA first discovered?
DNA was discovered in 1869 by Swiss researcher Friedrich Miescher, who was originally trying to study the composition of lymphoid cells (white blood cells). Instead, he isolated a new molecule he called nuclein (DNA with associated proteins) from a cell nucleus.
What is James Watson best known for?
James Watson was a pioneer molecular biologist who is credited, along with Francis Crick and Maurice Wilkins, with discovering the double helix structure of the DNA molecule. The trio won the Nobel Prize in Medicine in 1962 for their work.
Why did Rosalind Franklin not get credit?
Franklin, whose lab produced the photograph that helped unravel the mystery of DNA, received no credit for her role until after her death. Since the Nobel Prize committee doesn't confer awards posthumously, it means that Franklin will never share in the scientific community's highest honor for her work.
Did Rosalind Franklin discover the double helix?
Rosalind Franklin made a crucial contribution to the discovery of the double helix structure of DNA, but some would say she got a raw deal. Biographer Brenda Maddox called her the "Dark Lady of DNA," based on a once disparaging reference to Franklin by one of her coworkers.
Did Rosalind Franklin face sexist?
She died in April of 1958. Franklin faced sexism for much of her professional life in science.
What did Watson and Crick discover?
The 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 ...
When was DNA first discovered?
1869Though DNA—short for deoxyribonucleic acid—was discovered in 1869, its crucial role in determining genetic inheritance wasn't demonstrated until 1943.
Did Watson and Crick given Franklin Credit?
Franklin never gave Watson and Crick permission to use that work, and in their paper — the scientific record of this discovery — they do not credit Franklin for supplying this evidence or for image B 51, which was so critical to their discovery.
Overview
James Dewey Watson (born April 6, 1928) is an American molecular biologist, geneticist, and zoologist. In 1953, he co-authored with Francis Crick the academic paper proposing the double helix structure of the DNA molecule. Watson, Crick and Maurice Wilkins were awarded the 1962 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine "for their discoveries concerning the molecular structure of nucleic a…
Early life and education
James D. Watson was born in Chicago on April 6, 1928, as the only son of Jean (née Mitchell) and James D. Watson, a businessman descended mostly from colonial English immigrants to America. His mother's father, Lauchlin Mitchell, a tailor, was from Glasgow, Scotland, and her mother, Lizzie Gleason, was the child of parents from County Tipperary, Ireland. Raised Catholic, he later described himself as "an escapee from the Catholic religion." Watson said, "The luckiest thi…
Career and research
Originally, Watson was drawn into molecular biology by the work of Salvador Luria. Luria eventually shared the 1969 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine for his work on the Luria–Delbrück experiment, which concerned the nature of genetic mutations. He was part of a distributed group of researchers who were making use of the viruses that infect bacteria, called bacteriophages. He and Ma…
Personal life
Watson is an atheist. In 2003, he was one of 22 Nobel Laureates who signed the Humanist Manifesto.
Watson married Elizabeth Lewis in 1968. They have two sons, Rufus Robert Watson (b. 1970) and Duncan James Watson (b. 1972). Watson sometimes talks about his son Rufus, who has schizophrenia, seeking to encourage progress in the understanding and treatment of mental illn…
Awards and honors
Watson has won numerous awards, including:
• Albert Lasker Award for Basic Medical Research, 1960
• Benjamin Franklin Medal for Distinguished Achievement in the Sciences (2001)
• Copley Medal of the Royal Society, 1993
See also
• Behavioral genetics
• History of molecular biology
• History of RNA biology
• Life Story – 1987 BBC docudrama about Watson and Crick's discovery of DNA structure
Further reading
• Chadarevian, S. (2002) Designs For Life: Molecular Biology After World War II. Cambridge University Press ISBN 0-521-57078-6.
• Chargaff, E. (1978) Heraclitean Fire. New York: Rockefeller Press.
• Chomet, S., ed., (1994) D.N.A.: Genesis of a Discovery London: Newman-Hemisphere Press.
External links
• James D. Watson Collection at the Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory Library
• DNA – The Double Helix Game from Nobelprize.org
• MSN Encarta biography (Archived 2009-10-31)
• DNA Interactive – This site from the Dolan DNA Learning Center (part of CSHL) commemorates the discovery of the structure of DNA and includes dozens of animations, as well as interviews with James Watson and others.