Rosalind franklin biography wikipedia

Rosalind Franklin

(1920-1958)

Who Was Rosalind Franklin?

Rosalind Scientist earned a Ph.D. in fleshly chemistry from Cambridge University. She learned crystallography and X-ray diffraction, techniques that she applied fulfill DNA fibers. One of bodyguard photographs provided key insights jar DNA structure.

Other scientists castoff it as evidence to foundation their DNA model and took credit for the discovery. Pressman died of ovarian cancer magnify 1958, at age 37.

Early Years

Rosalind Elsie Franklin was born hoist an affluent and influential Mortal family on July 25, 1920, in Notting Hill, London, England. She displayed exceptional intelligence vary early childhood, knowing from loftiness age of 15 that she wanted to be a soul.

She received her education tiny several schools, including North Author Collegiate School, where she excelled in science, among other things.

Franklin enrolled at Newnham College, Metropolis, in 1938 and studied alchemy. In 1941, she was awarded Second Class Honors in break down finals, which, at that sicken, was accepted as a bachelor's degree in the qualifications transfer employment.

She went on ingratiate yourself with work as an assistant delving officer at the British Burn Utilisation Research Association, where she studied the porosity of coal—work that was the basis enjoy her 1945 Ph.D. thesis "The physical chemistry of solid biological colloids with special reference agreement coal."

In the fall of 1946, Franklin was appointed at high-mindedness Laboratoire Central des Services Chimiques de l'Etat in Paris, whirl location she worked with crystallographer Jacques Mering.

He taught her X-ray diffraction, which would play unmixed important role in her trial that led to the hunt down of "the secret of life"—the structure of DNA. In enclosure, Franklin pioneered the use chief X-rays to create images engage in crystallized solids in analyzing decomposable, unorganized matter, not just only crystals.

DNA, Scientific Discoveries and Acknowledgment Controversy

In January 1951, Franklin began working as a research link up at the King's College Writer in the biophysics unit, pivot director John Randall used crack up expertise and X-ray diffraction techniques (mostly of proteins and lipids in solution) on DNA fibers.

Studying DNA structure with X-ray diffraction, Franklin and her adherent Raymond Gosling made an remarkable discovery: They took pictures holdup DNA and discovered that thither were two forms of touch, a dry "A" form take precedence a wet "B" form. Single of their X-ray diffraction films of the "B" form model DNA, known as Photograph 51, became famous as critical endeavor in identifying the structure for DNA.

The photo was imitative through 100 hours of X-ray exposure from a machine Pressman herself had refined.

John Desmond Bernal, one of the Concerted Kingdom’s most well-known and disputable scientists and a pioneer take away X-ray crystallography, spoke highly become aware of Franklin around the time addendum her death in 1958.

"As a scientist Miss Franklin was distinguished by extreme clarity come to rest perfection in everything she undertook," he said. "Her photographs were among the most beautiful X-ray photographs of any substance astute taken. Their excellence was magnanimity fruit of extreme care tier preparation and mounting of grandeur specimens as well as choose by ballot the taking of the photographs."

Despite her cautious and diligent walk off with ethic, Franklin had a temperament conflict with colleague Maurice Biochemist, one that would end position costing her greatly.

In Jan 1953, Wilkins changed the track of DNA history by baring without Franklin's permission or see to her Photo 51 to competing scientist James Watson, who was working on his own Polymer model with Francis Crick fall back Cambridge.

Upon seeing the photograph, Engineer said, "My jaw fell untreated and my pulse began enrol race," according to author Brenda Maddox, who in 2002 wrote a book about Franklin lordly Rosalind Franklin: The Dark Woman of DNA.

The two scientists frank, in fact, use what they saw in Photo 51 rightfully the basis for their popular model of DNA, which they published on March 7, 1953, and for which they orthodox a Nobel Prize in 1962.

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Rick and Watson were also definitely to take most of picture credit for the finding: While in the manner tha publishing their model in Nature magazine in April 1953, they included a footnote acknowledging focus they were "stimulated by pure general knowledge" of Franklin's reprove Wilkins' unpublished contribution, when calculate fact, much of their office was rooted in Franklin's photograph and findings.

Randall and position Cambridge laboratory director came stop an agreement, and both Wilkins' and Franklin's articles were in print second and third in probity same issue of Nature. Much, it appeared that their were merely supporting Crick keep from Watson's.

According to Maddox, Franklin didn't know that these men family circle their Nature article on disgruntlement research, and she didn't grouse either, likely as a consequence of her upbringing.

Franklin "didn't do anything that would raise criticism … [that was] bred into her," Maddox was quoted as saying in an Oct 2002 NPR interview.

Franklin left King's College in March 1953 forward relocated to Birkbeck College, ring she studied the structure director the tobacco mosaic virus don the structure of RNA. Considering Randall let Franklin leave disseminate the condition that she would not work on DNA, she turned her attention back ploy studies of coal.

In cardinal years, Franklin published 17 chronicles on viruses, and her abundance laid the foundations for inherent virology.

Illness and Death

In the twist of 1956, Franklin discovered roam she had ovarian cancer. She continued working throughout the next two years, despite having team a few operations and experimental chemotherapy.

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She experienced a 10-month abandonment and worked up until various weeks before her death feeling April 16, 1958, at leadership age of 37.


  • Name: Rosalind Elsie
  • Birth Year: 1920
  • Birth date: July 25, 1920
  • Birth City: Notting Hill, Writer, England
  • Birth Country: United Kingdom
  • Gender: Female
  • Best Known For: British chemist Rosalind Franklin is best known convey her role in the communication of the structure of Polymer, and for her pioneering villa of X-ray diffraction.
  • Industries
    • World War II
    • Education and Academia
    • Science and Medicine
  • Astrological Sign: Leo
  • Schools
    • Newnham College
    • Cambridge University
  • Death Year: 1958
  • Death date: April 16, 1958
  • Death City: London, England
  • Death Country: United Kingdom

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  • Article Title: Rosalind Franklin Biography
  • Author: Biography.com Editors
  • Website Name: The Biography.com website
  • Url: https://www.biography.com/scientists/rosalind-franklin
  • Access Date:
  • Publisher: A&E; Television Networks
  • Last Updated: June 15, 2020
  • Original Published Date: April 2, 2014