Rosalind Franklin

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

X-RAY CRYSTALLOGRAPHER
Took the photograph that led to the discovery of the structure of DNA
Earned her PhD in physical chemistry from Cambridge University in 1945, then accepted a fellowship at King's College to study DNA with Maurice Wilkins
Developed a NEW technique to get clear x-ray diffraction data
Took two different photographs of DNA, one that didn't imply a helix and one that did; she focused her research on the former image because it was clearer and more detailed
Wilkins, with whom Franklin did NOT get along, showed her notes and images to James Watson and Francis Crick, two researchers from another institution. Drawing directly from her work (but not citing it, of course), they published a paper stating that DNA was a double helix.
Franklin submitted her own article a day before Watson and Crick, and both papers were published in the same issue of Nature, but Franklin's was brushed off as simply confirmation of theirs
She went on to work at Birkbeck College, where she led a research group and gained international praise -- even from Watson and Crick -- for IDENTIFYING the structure of the tobacco mosaic virus (and therefore how the vaccine needed to be structured)
In 1962, Wilkins, Watson, and Crick received the Nobel Prize for their DNA research, but Franklin had died in 1958 (the Prize is not awarded posthumously). None of the men mentioned her or her contributions during the ceremony.

Bibliography: Creager, Angela N. "Franklin, Rosalind." The Oxford Encyclopedia of Women in World History, Vol. 2, Oxford University Press, 2008, 336-337.
Harvey, Joy and Marilyn Ogilvie. "Franklin, Rosalind Elsie." The Biographical Dictionary of Women in Science, Vol. 1. Routledge, 2000, 465-466.

Support these organizations dedicated to preserving her story and mission:

Rosalind Franklin Institute
Rosalind Franklin Society

Biographies for Kids and Young Adults

Rosalind Franklin And the Structure of Life

Trailblazers: Rosalind Franklin: Photographing Biomolecules

Little People, BIG DREAMS: Rosalind Franklin

Research

The Secret of Life: Rosalind Franklin, James Watson, Francis Crick, and the Discovery of DNA's Double Helix

My Sister Rosalind Franklin: A Family Memoir

Spread the word!

NOVA documentary: DNA: Secret of Photo 51

change purse featuring an image of Rosalind Franklin

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