Rosalind Franklin, James Watson

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Rosalind Franklin James Watson

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Franklin is best known for her work on the X-ray diffraction images of DNA which led to the discovery of DNA double helix. Her data, according to Francis Crick, were “the data we actually used” to formulate Crick and Watson’s 1953 hypothesis regarding the structure of DNA. Franklin’s images of X-ray diffraction confirming the helical structure of DNA were shown to Watson without her approval or knowledge. Though this image and her accurate interpretation of the data provided valuable insight into the DNA structure, Franklin’s scientific contributions to the discovery of the double helix are often overlooked. Unpublished drafts of her papers (written just as she was arranging to leave King’s College London) show that she had independently determined the overall B-form of the DNA helix and the location of the phosphate groups on the outside of the structure. Moreover, Franklin personally told Crick and Watson that the backbones had to be on the outside, which was crucial since before this both they and Linus Pauling had independently generated non-illuminating models with the chains inside and the bases pointing outwards. However, her work was published third, in the series of three DNA Nature articles, led by the paper of Watson and Crick which only hinted at her contribution to their hypothesis.

One thought on “Rosalind Franklin, James Watson

  1. shinichi Post author

    (sk)

    私の頭の中には、「フランクリン=見つけた人」、「ワトソン=盗んだ人」という情報が、くっきりとしたかたちで記憶されている。

    そのためか、写真のなかのフランクリンは研究者に見え、写真のなかのワトソンはどれもペテン師に見える。

    みんな、フランクリンを忘れてしまう。そして、メディアはワトソンだけを持ち上げる。みんなはそれを信じる。それをみて、私のワトソンへの嫌悪はさらに強くなる。

    なんでこの話にこだわるのか、自分でもわからない。グリゴリー・ペレルマンに対するこだわりの理由もわからない。きっと、ペテン師への強い嫌悪が、あるのだと。。。そう思う。

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