Rosalind Franklin Positive Effects Of The Discovery

Effects of the discovery from Rosalind Franklin

Rosalind Elsie Franklin made the actual discovery of the structure of DNA [1]. However, she worked as an associate for Maurice Wilkins, who stole the credit for the discovery [2]. Franklin originally was made in charge of the DNA project after a few months of no success from Wilkins. She made many crystallographic portraits of DNA, which were later used by Wilkins in Nature magazine and credited to Wilkins, along with his scientists, James Watson and Francis Crick.

As a result, much of the scientific world assumed Watson and Crick were solely responsible for the discovery of DNA. Moreover, this led to a major controversy as to sexism in King's College, the university where this entire episode

Nevertheless, Franklin chose not to say so until more evidence proved so. Consequently, Watson and Crick were credited to solving the structure of DNA while Franklin and Wilkins remained merely as contributors to its discovery.

While might doesn't always make right, Watson and Crick beat Franklin in her own study. It is sad to see the scientific community pride instant results over long and intense study. What is even sadder is the fact that Franklin died in 1958, four years before the Nobel Prize was awarded to Watson and Crick.

There were also positive effects of this discovery. Without this key information, much of our understanding of genetics, DNA and RNA, and how to fight diseases would not be here. Biotechnology wouldn't exist. It is true that this discovery was of extreme importance, but unfortunately, dishonesty can always interfere with results.

References

[1] Johnson, G. (2017). On DNA's Anniversary: How Rosalind Franklin Missed the Helix - Fire in the Mind. [Online] Fire in the Mind. Available at: http://blogs.discovermagazine.com/fire-in-the-mind/2013/04/25/on-dnas-anniversary-how-rosalind-franklin-missed-the-helix/#.WdvPqWhSy70 [Accessed 10 Oct.