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<Article-Title>Rosalind Franklin: the Dark Lady of DNA</Article-Title

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<Article-Title>Rosalind Franklin: the Dark Lady of DNA</Article-Title digestion. Gas and diarrhea will her personality and talents devel- return to England, she was diag- alwaysbe interestingto kids, I sup- op. By the end of "PartOne," she nosed with ovarian cancer. She pose. had become a world authorityon died in 1958 at the age of 37. coal and had spent fourhappy and Franklincontinued to work nearly The graphics deserve special productiveyears as a respectedand to the end. mention. The computer-generated admired member of the lab in illustrations are among the best The Epilogue, "Life After Paris, where she learned X-ray I've seen for children's science Death,"presents reactions to James techniques.Yet there was a side of books. Even the illustrationof the Watson's The Double Helix, her that loved adventure,fashion, lower jaw and saliva glands which was finally published in and the children of her many rela- seemed colorful and interesting. 1968 after being rejected by tives and friends. The photographs taken with a Harvard University Press. It high-powered microscope are "Part Two" describes became a best seller and prompted show-stopping. Adults and kids Rosalind's two years at King's Rosalind's friend Anne Sayre to kept asking, "What is that?" College, London. The six chapters write her 1975 biography, Learningbecause you'reinterested of "PartTwo" show how many sci- Rosalind Franklin and DNA. This is the most painless, efficient way entists played important roles in book was a rebuttalof what Sayre Downloaded from http://online.ucpress.edu/abt/article-pdf/67/6/380/52505/4451869.pdf by guest on 25 September 2021 to learn. discoveringthe secret of the gene. considered a personal attack on Using quotes and interviews, Ms. the characterand reputation of a This series is engaging and Maddoxadds to the suspense of a friendwho was not alive to defend entertaining.It's a wonderfuladdi- story we thought we knew. Also, herself. The slim biography also tion to any library. "PartTwo" is key to understanding propelled Franklinto the status of the scope of the injustice done to feminist icon. Brenda Maddox's RoxannePrice RosalindFranklin. The importance book is a more objectiveaccount of Distance Educator of workplaceculture and its effect the sin of omission in never telling in Universityof Arizona, Continuing on those caught up it is evident Franklinof the significanceof her in education and CommunityOutreach throughout."The fact is that two work. unhappy years, working in isola- Tucson,AZ 85721-0158 This book is a must-read for tion except for Gosling, in a field [email protected] biology teacherswho want to give new to her, she had come within theirstudents a balancedpicture of two steps of answering the most Rosalind Franklin. It is complete exciting question in post-war sci- with interviews,excerpts from let- ence. What is more, she, unknow- ters, extensive notes, bibliography, ingly,had providedall the essential index, and 36 black-and-white BIOGRAPHY data for those who took the two photographs. NOVA and WBGH brilliantleaps of intuition-to anti- Rosalind Franklin: The Dark Bostonproduced an excellent com- parallelchains and base pairs-that Lady of DNA. By BrendaMaddox. panion video called The Secretof crackedthe problem,"(pg. 202). 2002. Harper Collins Publishers Photo51 for which BrendaMaddox (ISBN 0-06-018407-8). 380 pp. "PartThree" begins in the lab interviewed many scientists who $15.95 paperback, $29.95 hard- of J. D. Bernalat BirkbeckCollege. knew Franklinand her work. The cover. Bernalwas a world-renownedcrys- book and video can be successfully tallographerwho appreciatedthat integrated into a unit on DNA Publishedin time for the 50th Franklinwas a brilliantexperimen- along with The Double Helix and of the 1953 elucida- anniversary talist. It was at Birkbeckthat she the film Life Story. The book of the structure of tion DNA, finally found a collaborator in addresses the National Science Brenda Maddox's thoroughly AaronKlug and did the best work EducationStandards in terms of the researched and immensely read- of her life, this time with viruses. history and nature of science. It able biography of Rosalind The papers poured out and she could also be used to address gen- Franklin attempts to explain the was asked to build a model of her der issues, matters of ethics, and events surrounding what is virus work for the BrusselsWorld's biotechnology. of arguablyone science's greatest Fair.She eventuallybecame friend- injustices. ly with Watson and Crick, never "Part One" delves into suspecting how they had used her CarolynS. Nevin Franklin'sfamily life and earlyedu- work. Then on her second trip to BiologyTeacher cation. Through her personal let- America, she suffered a bout of HokesBluff High School ters and family interviews,we see severe abdominal pain. Upon her HokesBluff, AL 35903 380 THEAMERICAN BIOLOGY TEACHER, VOLUME 67, NO.6,AUGUST 2005 .
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