James Watson and Francis Crick
James Watson (left), born April 6, 1928, an American molecular biologist, and Francis Crick (right) (June 8, 1916-July 28, 2004), a British biophysicist, published the first description of the structure of deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA), the molecule that contains the hereditary information for cells. Their model proved to be so important for the understanding of protein synthesis, DNA replication, and mutation that they were awarded the 1962 Nobel Prize for physiology or medicine.
Crick and Watson shared the same passionate desire to determine the structure of DNA, and from 1951 to 1953, they worked together on the problem. After a few missteps, Crick and Watson used the X-ray diffraction patterns created by British chemist Rosalind Franklin at King’s College, London, to develop a three-dimensional model for the structure of DNA. This model depicted DNA as two complementary strands twisted into a double helix. In 1953, Crick and Watson published their findings in the science journal Nature. Because of their work, scientists were able to understand and describe living things for the first time in terms of the structure and interaction of molecules. Recognized as one of the most significant discoveries of the 20th century, the identification of the structure of DNA affects practically every scientific discipline in the life sciences.
Famous quote: Both of us had decided, quite independently of each other, that the central problem in molecular biology was the chemical structure of the gene (Francis Crick).
"James Watson," Microsoft® Encarta® Online Encyclopedia 2007, "Francis Crick," Microsoft® Encarta® Online Encyclopedia 2007 http://encarta.msn.com © 1997-2007 Microsoft Corporation. All Rights Reserved