Rosalind Franklin

About

Rosalind Franklin was a British chemist and X-ray crystallographer born on July 25, 1920, in London. She studied physical chemistry at Newnham College, Cambridge, and later earned her PhD in 1945. Franklin's early work involved studying the structure of coal and graphite, which contributed to her expertise in X-ray diffraction techniques. Her time in Paris from 1947 to 1950 further honed her skills in this area. Franklin's most notable contributions were in the field of DNA research. At King's College, London, she applied X-ray diffraction to DNA, producing the famous Photo 51, which provided crucial evidence for the double-helix model proposed by James Watson and Francis Crick. Her work also included studies on viruses, particularly the tobacco mosaic virus. Franklin's life was cut short by cancer in 1958, but her legacy in molecular biology remains significant. Despite facing challenges as a woman in science, she left an enduring impact on our understanding of DNA and viral structures.