Rosalind Elsie Franklin: Double DNA scructure
Rosalind Elsie Franklin (1920-1958) was an English chemistry and crystallographer, responsible for important contributions to the understanding of the structure of DNA, RNA, viruses, coal and graphite. Born in London, she studied at the University of Cambridge, at Newnham College and St Paul’s Girl’s School, despite the initial opposition by his father. In 1941 he graduated at the University and began his doctoral studies in Physical Chemistry. Being in the world. In 1947 he went to Paris animated by Adrienne Weill, a French scientist refugee in England, who also guided her in her postdoctoral work. There he entered an open research group of the Central Laboratory of State Chemical Services, where he learned the X -ray diffraction technique, in which he became an expert worldwide and would later apply to DNA, when in1951 got a place at the King´s College and was commissioned by the study of this molecule.
Rosalind lived in a complicated context in every way. Hitler had just ascended to power when she was born. Years later the CRAC of the New York Stock Exchange was given in 1929, which meant a serious economic crisis worldwide. He also suffered in the first person the consequences of World War II in his university period, for which many of his professors were arrested or left his job. Although the beginnings of the 20th century were great advances in much aspects, the world was not yet prepared to recognize the work of the doctor.
Rosalind Franklin was initially interested in the study of amorphous materials such as coal and coal, and it was going to consist of a work that would do at King’s College University. But shortly before starting this study, he received a letter from the director of the Biophysics Laboratory of this University, where he was asked to change the purposes of his research and focus on the study of certain biological fibers, in this letter, it was also madeMention to the works of Wilkins and Gosling and its approaches regarding the study of the structure of deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA). During the course of Rosalind research he noticed certain derogatory behaviors towards his person, for example Wilkins treated her as an assistant when they were really equal, although she did not protest at any time.
Parallel to these Watson and Crick events, who were focused on knowing the structure of the DNA, they reached a three propeller structure. This three -propelled model was denied by Rosalind Franklin who was working with the dehydrated form of DNA. Franklin proved that it was not valid because the amount of water in the model did not correspond to that of diffraction studies, therefore, phosphates and skeleton of the molecule had to be outside the same. That is, there was no evidence that led to thinking about a helical structure for DNA. Subsequently, after their first failure, they were interested again in knowing this structure while Rosalind Franklin continued working on crystallographic studies with different degrees of hydration. Thanks to them, he managed to see that the DNA molecule hydrated, the form was completely different, thus achieving the first image of the double dnus helix in 1953, the famous photography 51 that would later be delivered to John Watson by Wilkins. With this photograph Watson realized that the characteristics of the DNA structure could be known thanks to this photograph.
So thanks to photography, the data of a Rosalind talk (to which they had attended) and some more data provided Wilkins, Watson and Crick proposed the structure of the DNA in Nature a few months after seeing the photograph. In this article Watson and Crick did not make any special mention to Franklin and never told him that they had used their data so she never knew anything. Four years after Franklin’s death, in 1962, Watson, Wilkins and Crick received the Nobel Prize for their studies on DNA structure. In addition, Watson, who was the cruelest, in his book The double helix, mentioned Franklin defining it as’ a feminist who complains about trivialities’ and even with comments such as’ did not lack attractiveness, although he would have been beautiful if he showed the minor the minorinterest in dressing well ‘. In addition, Watson talked about Rosalind, referring to her as Rosy and also, Rosalind’s death certificate says ‘Rosalind Franklin a scientist research, single, daughter of Ellis Arthur Franklin, a banker". Although his work was crucial for the discovery of the DNA’s double helical structure, his feat was never named until years after his death.
His status as a woman along with his bad relationship with Wilkins made his findings not attributed to most cases. In addition, we must bear in mind that at that time, the "intellectual machismo" was the order of the day, and it was not conceived that the woman had the same capabilities as a man. Rosalind worked in X -ray diffraction techniques with DNA and extracted fibers from this, which allowed him to discover data about the structure of the double helix. However, Wilkins shared this finding with Watson and Crick, without her finding out, facilitating the information they needed for publication of the DNA structure proposal in March 1953.
Rosalind had a very firm and professional character, and rebelled in the face of the injustices of the male atmosphere, so I would surely have not allowed Watson and Crick to take away the merit of having learned. It was not years later, after Franklin’s death and the concession of the Nobel Prize, which Watson and Crick confessed that the photograph that Franklin obtained was decisive for the discovery of the double propeller.
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