Scientist Spotlight
Rosalind Franklin
(1920-1958)
It is widely known that, because she was a female, her research was largely unacknowledged in the
scientific community when she was alive, as were her efforts to this major discovery. Now, more than ever, we see that her unwavering determination and knowledge has advanced our understanding of DNA, but it is also a stark reminder of how we must continue to raise awareness and celebrate the contributions of female scientists.
References:
[1] Cobb, M. and Comfort, N. (2023) What Rosalind Franklin Truly Contributed to the Discovery of DNA’s Structure. Nature. [Online] 616 (7958), pp. 657–660. doi: https://doi.org/10.1038/d41586-023-01313-5
[2] Oppenheimer, S.B. (2023) Photograph 51, Rosalind Franklin and DNA Structure. Frontiers in Education Technology, 6 (3), pp.1-13. doi: https://doi.org/10.22158/fet.v6n3p1
[3] Rosalind Franklin University of Medicine and Science (2020) A Scholar in the Making. [Online] Available at: https://www.rosalindfranklin.edu/rf100/scholar.html
[4] Cramer, P. (2020) Rosalind Franklin and the Advent of Molecular Biology. Cell, [Online] 182 (4), pp.787–789. doi: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cell.2020.07.028
Rosalind is most notable for her contributions to the discovery of DNA’s double helix structure.
Together, with her graduate student, Raymond Gosling, they captured an image of DNA using a process called X-ray diffraction [1]. The image is known as Photograph 51 and was integral evidence that DNA was indeed a helix and in its B form, which is the most recognised and functional in the natural world [2].
What you might not know is that her family were involved in the Kindertransport initiative in the build up to World War II, involving the relocation of Jewish children from Germany to the British Isles [3].
Up until her death of ovarian cancer, she continued researching the structure of viruses using X-ray
diffraction and her research set the foundation for future discoveries in molecular biology [4].