Watson and Crick

James Watson and Francis Crick are credited with elucidating the double helix structure of DNA. With the help of other scientists they were able to understand how adenine pairs with thymine and how guanine pairs with cytosine. The other scientists that provided information for understanding the structure are Erwin Chargaff, Rosalind Franklin and Maurice Wilkins, and Linus Pauling.

Source: http://www.chemheritage.org/discover/online-resources/chemistry-in-history/themes/biomolecules/dna/watson-crick-wilkins-franklin.aspx

At first, the men believed that the bases were on the outside of the double helix and the sugars and phosphate groups covalently bonded on the inside. After building the model, they discovered that it was not at all stable. They then built a model with the bases inside and sugars and phosphates outside, which created the stable double helix! Because of their great discovery Watson, Crick, and Wilkins were awarded the Nobel Prize in 1962. Unfortunately Rosalind Franklin could not receive the award because she had passed away in 1958.

Without the great minds of both Watson and Crick, I believe we would have never discovered as much as we have to this day.

Thank you everyone for your advice on studying yesterday!! I will use it all wisely.

Have you ever wondered what the world would be like today if we hadn't discovered what we know? What kind of world do you think we would live in if major discoveries weren't made, like Watson and Crick and the elucidation of the DNA double helix?