Knowra James Watson James Watson James Watson is an American molecular biologist who shared the 1962 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine for work establishing DNA’s double-helix structure.
Francis Crick : British molecular biologist who co-developed the double-helix model of DNA with James Watson. Crick was Watson’s close collaborator in constructing the 1953 DNA model.
DNA : A molecule that stores hereditary information in living organisms and many viruses. Watson’s best-known work concerned how this molecule’s structure could explain its biological role.
University of Chicago : A private research university in Chicago, Illinois, founded in 1890. Watson studied zoology there before turning toward molecular biology.
The Double Helix : James Watson’s 1968 memoir recounting the race to determine DNA’s structure. The book made Watson’s account of the discovery widely known and remains contested for its portrayal of colleagues.
Maurice Wilkins : British physicist and molecular biologist who shared the 1962 Nobel Prize for discoveries concerning DNA’s structure. Wilkins’s X-ray diffraction research contributed to the evidence behind the DNA model.
DNA structure : The molecular arrangement of DNA, including its nucleotide sequence, paired strands, and helical shape. The structural features Watson and Crick modeled are the central result associated with Watson.
Indiana University : A public university system based in Bloomington, Indiana. Watson earned his doctorate in zoology at Indiana University in 1950.
Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory : A research institution in New York specializing in molecular biology, genetics, and related fields. Watson led the laboratory for decades and helped expand its research and educational programs.
Rosalind Franklin : British chemist whose X-ray diffraction studies revealed key features of DNA’s structure. Her diffraction data, including Photo 51, informed the model Watson and Crick developed.
X-ray crystallography : A method for determining atomic and molecular structures from the diffraction of X-rays by ordered samples. Diffraction patterns supplied structural constraints for the DNA model.
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