What is DNA?
"Photo 51 which was taken by Rosalind Franklin in May 1952"
DNA stands for deoxyribonucleic acid. It is a double helix molecule which is self-replicating. It carries genetic information in almost all living organisms such as humans and animals.
The Experiment
Rosalind Franklin and Raymond Gosling, working as a undergraduate, worked on trying to figure out what the object was and what it does. The project took over six months to complete, but Rosalind finally figured out what the structure does and even what it looks like in the year 1952!
"Rosalind Franklin working with a microscope in 1955. Photo by The MRC Laboratory of Molecular Biology"
Rosalind Franklin's Detailed Notes
"Rosalind Franklin and Ryan Gosling's detailed undergraduate notes while working on the project which uncovered DNA"
Notes written by Rosalind Franklin goes into detail with equations and problems they faced while trying to figure out what the double helix structure is with a way to capture the evidence of its existance.
The Impact
The discovery of DNA had many benefical impacts on new experiments and technologies we have today. For example, it is how we catch criminals, how we made penicilian, how we make other modern medicines, how doctors test for diseases, and even how we recognize family orgins. Without Rosalind Franklin's discovery and Photo 51 we would not be advanced in technology, have biotech advancments, or even have some of the everyday medicines we see on a daily basis.
"DNA is the biggest and most impactful for finding criminals with all kinds of cases."
~Tracy Staedter
The Nobel Peace Prize
The Nobel Peace Prize for Phisiology was awarded to Maurice Wilkins, Francis Crick, and James Watson in 1962. Rosalind Franklin never recieved the Nobel Peace Prize or recognition for the discovery or her extrodinary work because she died four years earlier from ovarian caner in 1958.
"Rosalind Franklin was definitely one of the leaders in this whole experiment with DNA. Even though there were others she was definitely the leader."
~ Heidi Egginton
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