Watson and Crick
Appearance
James D. Watson and Francis Crick were the two co-discoverers of the structure of DNA in 1953. They used x-ray diffraction data collected by Rosalind Franklin and proposed the double helix or spiral staircase structure of the DNA molecule. Their article, Molecular Structure of Nucleic Acids: A Structure for Deoxyribose Nucleic Acid, is celebrated for its treatment of the B form of DNA (B-DNA), and as the source of Watson-Crick base pairing of nucleotides. They were, with Maurice Wilkins, awarded the Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine in 1962.
Apparently, as they walked into the Eagle pub in Cambridge, Crick announced, "We have found the secret of life." [1][2]
References
- ^ http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/science/nature/2804545.stm
- ^ The Time 100 at time.com; retrieved on March 19, 2009