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Rosalind Franklin: Dark Lady of DNA
Book Sheds New Light on a Scientific Landmark
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Rosalind Franklin
Photo: courtesy HarperCollins |
Rosalind Franklin's X-ray diffraction photograph of DNA, 1953
Photo: courtesy HarperCollins |
Oct. 6, 2002 -- Early next year, scientific institutions in the United States and Great Britain will mark the 50th anniversary of one of the greatest discoveries in science. In April of 1953, James Watson, Francis Crick and Maurice Wilkins identified the substance of life -- the structure of DNA.
They later shared a Nobel Prize. Their discovery depended heavily on the work of a woman, chemist Rosalind Franklin, whose research was used without her knowledge or permission. Watson's memoir of the discovery dismisses Franklin as frumpy, hostile and unimaginative. A later work by a friend casts Franklin as a feminist icon, cheated of recognition.
Now, a new book enters the fray. Rosalind Franklin: The Dark Lady of DNA, by Brenda Maddox. The book strikes something of a middle ground: Franklin was instrumental in discovering the structure of DNA, but she wasn't altogether ignored.
As Maddox tells Howard Berkes for All Things Considered, it was Franklin's photograph of the DNA molecule that sparked a scientific revolution. Wilkins showed Watson the photo, and, Watson said, "My jaw fell open and my pulse began to race."
The photo showed, for the first time, the essential structure of DNA -- the double-helix shape, which also indicated its method of replication.
It was Franklin's photographic skills that made the discovery possible, says Maddox. "She could take photographs of crystals… and interpret the patterns." She had "a particular genius at aligning hand and mind."
She did not know the other men were using her research upon which to base the article that appeared in the journal Nature. She didn't complain either. This may be thanks to her upbringing, says Maddox. Franklin "didn't do anything that would invite criticism… (this was) bred into her."
She wouldn't share in the Nobel Prize either. Maddox says this not because Franklin was overlooked, but because she was dead. The award is not given out posthumously. Franklin was diagnosed with ovarian cancer in 1956 at age 37, and died two years later, without an award, but not without recognition -- eventually.
Previous Coverage
 An hourlong discussion with James Watson on Talk of the Nation in 2000.
Other Resources
Watson and Crick's original paper as published in the journal Nature.
Public television WGBH in Boston examines the discovery of DNA. Includes biographical information on Crick and Franklin.
Watson and Crick are profiled as part of Time magazine's millennial feature "The Top 100."
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