Rosalind Franklin the forgotten woman who gave us the first clear look of DNA!

No matter how little we know about science, there are certain names that popular culture associates with scientific progress in the world. Rosalind Franklin is best known for her work on the X-ray diffraction images of DNA, particularly Photo 51. At King's College London, the discovery of the DNA double helix took place by Francis Crick, James Watson, and Maurice Wilkins who were later awarded the Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine in 1962 for their discovery. However, Rosalind Franklin did not share the 1962 Nobel Prize with them. It is assumed since Rosalind died of ovarian cancer four years before she was kept out of the list of Awardees.

The discovery of the double-helix structure of DNA would not have been possible without the contribution of Rosalind Franklin's skills in X-ray crystallography which helped in capturing a clear and concise picture of the DNA. This picture was then taken without her permission by another scientist, Maurice Wilkins, who showed it to Watson. Watson later wrote in his memoir that "The instant [he] saw the picture [his] mouth fell open and [his] pulse began to race."

To date, Rosalind hasn't received recognition for her contribution to the discovery of the molecular structure of the DNA.

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About the Author

Ruby Rajesh Yadav is an amateur writer tasting every opportunity coming her way.