Description
Specifically, it was a race between two teams of young scientists
working in Britain, as well as the esteemed chemist Linus Pauling, based
in California. Already a Nobel laureate, Pauling may have been the
favorite, but the discovery would ultimately be made by his British
counterparts. Rosalind Franklin and Maurice Wilkins were trying to
identify the structure by studying X-ray diffractions of the DNA
molecule. But Jim Watson and Francis Crick studied a little bit of
everything -- including, to the consternation of some, the work of their
competitors. A few have gone so far as to accuse Watson of stealing
Franklin's X-ray work.
In any case, Waston and Crick's
inquisitive working style ultimately allowed them to determine the DNA
structure first, in 1953 -- an achievement that led to their Nobel Prize
in 1962. Meanwhile, Franklin passed away in 1958 from cancer.
Tags
DNA, joe bini, david glover, the molecule of life, molecule, free, documentary, watch, movie, online, film, video, nobel, linus pauling, rosalind franklin, maurice wilkins, francis crick, jim watson, x-ray, prize
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