Summary
Highlights
As World War II ends, scientists race to discover the 'secret of life,' DNA. In 1952, Rosalind Franklin's X-ray photography captures a crucial image of DNA, Photo 51, which will reveal its structure. Despite her pivotal role, her findings are accessed and used by James Watson, Francis Crick, and Maurice Wilkins without her full knowledge, leading to a major scientific discovery and, for some, a great injustice.
In 1962, Watson, Crick, and Wilkins receive the Nobel Prize for their DNA work. Years later, Watson's book 'The Double Helix' portrays Franklin negatively, as 'the terrible Rosie' who hoarded her data. This depiction draws strong criticism from crick and Wilkins, who argue it distorts the scientific discovery process and is unfair to everyone mentioned, especially Franklin who had died young at 37 and couldn't defend herself.
Rosalind Franklin was born in London in 1920 into a wealthy, philanthropic family. She displayed exceptional intelligence from a young age, excelling in math and science. She attended St. Paul's Girls' School and later Cambridge University, where she was introduced to X-ray crystallography, a technique she would master to reveal the hidden atomic structures of matter. She was determined to contribute to science for the betterment of mankind.
After graduating, Franklin joined the war effort, researching coal and earning her PhD. Post-war, she took a research position in Paris, where she perfected X-ray diffraction techniques and gained an international reputation. Despite her happiness in Paris, she returned to England in 1951 for a prestigious position at King's College London, where she was tasked with investigating DNA's structure, unwittingly entering a race to unravel the secret of life.
At King's College, Franklin faced war-ravaged facilities and a hostile, sexist 'boys club' culture. Miscommunication from the lab director, J.T. Randall, led to tension with Maurice Wilkins, who believed Franklin was his assistant, while she saw herself as an independent researcher. Despite this, Franklin's meticulous work led to the crucial discovery of two forms of DNA: 'A' (drier, crystalline) and 'B' (wetter, as in living cells), with the 'B' form clearly showing a helical structure.
James Watson and Francis Crick, working at Cambridge, attempted to solve DNA's structure through model building. Their first attempt was an embarrassing failure, criticized by Franklin. However, Wilkins, feeling shut out by Franklin, began sharing her data with Crick, effectively making him a conduit for confidential information. The arrival of Linus Pauling's son and Pauling's own incorrect model ignited a fierce race to build a correct DNA model.
In May 1952, Franklin's perseverance yielded 'Photo 51,' the sharpest X-ray image of the 'B' form of DNA, revealing its helical nature and key dimensions. Watson, after a tense encounter with Franklin, saw Photo 51 shown to him by Wilkins. The image, combined with Franklin's unpublished MRC report detailing DNA's symmetry, provided critical insights. Watson and Crick then deduced the double helix, with anti-parallel strands and complementary base pairing (A-T, G-C). This immediate understanding of how DNA duplicates marked their 'eureka' moment.
Watson and Crick, eager to publish, obscured Franklin's essential data. Articles were arranged in Nature to make her findings appear as confirmation, not foundational to their model. Her work was acknowledged with a single, guarded sentence. Franklin moved to Birkbeck College, where she thrived in a collegial atmosphere, making significant discoveries in virus research. She died of cancer in 1958, never fully knowing the extent to which her work was used. Posthumously, efforts have been made to recognize her, including awards and plaques, with Aaron Klug acknowledging her immense contribution when receiving his Nobel Prize.