Friday, March 27, 2009
Search for the Structure of DNA:
One of the most significant scientific advances of the 20th century was the discovery of DNA structure. One of the first people to research this topic was Rosalind Franklin. She went to Kings College in London in 1951 to set up and be in charge of an X-ray diffraction laboratory. There she began to research the structure of DNA through the X-ray diffraction of DNA fibers. The only thing missing from her research was precisely how the nucleotide bases fit into the structure. A few years later, James Watson and Francis Crick collaborated together at Cambridge laboratory to determine the structure of DNA. They based their research off of Rosalind Franklin’s discoveries which they obtained, without her consent, from a research paper that she wrote. They did not actually perform any experiments. Instead, they built a model based on her research combined with their guessing. This model was consistent with the known facts and could account for the biological role of DNA. They published this model in a paper they wrote in 1953. They received worldwide recognition as the discoverers of the DNA structure, and won the Nobel Prize. Rosalind Franklin did not receive any credit for the information that they obtained from her research. Today most high school and college science text books do not reference her contributions to the discovery of the structure of DNA.
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I agree that everyone should get credit for anything they do. It is wrong to take credit for something you didn't have any part of. Even if you did take part in a study, you should also credit people who were involved in the study with you. Any one who contributes in anything should get credit for what they did.
ReplyDeleteI agree with Catherine. Rosalind should get credit for the contribution of the study. It isn't fair to take all the credit when James and Francis based most of their work on Rosalind's studies. Each contributor of any experiment should get recongnition.
ReplyDeleteI agree that Watson and Crick should have given credit to Franklin. Without her discoveries, they would not have been able to make their predictions and create the DNA structure. I think Watson and Crick should still get credit for their discoveries because they figured it out, but i think Franklin should get more credit, and be recognized as being used in in their studies.
ReplyDeletei agree with question 1. People should always credit others for their work. Watson and Crick used Franklin research in their experiments and did not credit her for her work. I think that this is unfair because if it weren't for Franklin, they probably would have never built the model of DNA
ReplyDeletejust trying this!
ReplyDeleteI agree that it was wrong of Watson and Clark to steal the information of Rosalind. Without her original discovery, the other 2 male scientists would never have been able to make their discoveries. Rosalind provided an excellent basis for the discovery of DNA, and Watson and Crick were able to build on it. I do not understand how Watson and Clark could have lived with the guilt of stealing someelse's information an crediting it as their own. Was Roslaind not able to defend herself? Was she dead? Was she discriminated agains because she was a woman? Thanks!
ReplyDeleteRosalind Franklin died from ovarian cancer in 1958. The noble prize cannot be awarded to someone who has already died. Watson and Crick invite Franklin's partner to receive the nobel prize with them. However, most modern textbooks credit only Watson and Crick.
ReplyDeleteI definately agree that Rosalind should be credited for her discoveries. I mean for Watson and Crick to use her information without her consent is wrong to start with, but then for them to not give her any credit is even worse! Also, I think that it's wrong that the school text books don't mention her. Obviously there's information out there proving that she made the discovery! So why are schools still not giving her credit?
ReplyDeleteThe decision of Watson and Clark was wrong, but if it was just in a research paper that everyone could obtain couldn't they just use it? Although I firmly believe that if they were going to use it without her concent, they should have credited their structure or findings with the research she performed. Also Emily brings up a good point....what were dates that these took place...which would help explain if she could defend herself?
ReplyDeleteregard that question I asked at the end......if found the answer...
ReplyDeleteI think it was okay for Watson and Crick to take information from Franklin's research paper, but they should have asked her first. They should also have given her the credit for discovering the information in the paper. I don't think it is fair that textbooks and other sources do not even mention Rosalind Franklin as helping discover the structure of DNA.
ReplyDeleteI think that those dingbats who stole her research should be discredited and kicked out of whatever prestigious awards societies they're in and that Rosalind should get all credit.
ReplyDeleteMathilde means forget about the last question...
ReplyDeleteWell sounds to me like this chick should have published her ideas from the start. Hey if she would have then maybe they'd have a cure of ovarian cancer, she'd be alive wit an award. But instead look where she is now. NO i don't condone the behavior of the two guys but if this girl wasn't smart enough to publish her ideas and these guys were smart enough to put off this stunt. Then sounds like they are smart enough to win the award
ReplyDeleteI think that Rosalind Franklin shoudl be the only person to get the credit. The other guys took her unfinished research and finished it by guessing. They should nto have won the award for guessing.
ReplyDeleteRosalind Franklin was 37 when she died. Also, the paper that she wrote and that was stolen by Watson and Crick was not a formal published paper, it was a report that she had written for her research director.
ReplyDeletei completely agree with Brooke. She should have published her own idea from the start and none of this would have happened.
ReplyDeleteI don't think she wanted to post her findings until she had figured out the whole thing. Would you? She probably didn't want to give other scientists like Watson and Crick easier access to her findings. I guess she was a little territorial.
ReplyDeleteI think that Rosalind Franklin should get the credit now because we now know that it was her ideas that Watson and Crick based "their discovery" on. They should be able to keep their awards because they did publish it first. But Franklin should also have just as much or more credit than them because she orginally had the ideas.
ReplyDeleteI could see how people would think that if Rosalind would have just published her work, none of this would have happened. I agree with that stement in some ways because that would have eliminated all the controversy.
ReplyDeleteBut, I also stick to saying that they should not have copied because it was wrong, and they chould have stated that they took their work from her, and she should have been credited.
I definitely think that it is unfair that Franklin did not get any credit for her work. It was her choice to publish it or not. She should not have been taken advantage of like that. She should have been the one to get the Nobel prize.
ReplyDeleteThat is truly horrible. I would definitely not be happy if that happened to me. I wouldn't just stand back and take it, I would step up to the plate and demand that they tell everyone the truth. As for the guys, they had no permission so really it is considered plagiarism.
ReplyDelete