Video Transcript
Which of the following scientists
was not involved in the discovery of the structure of DNA? (A) Francis Crick, (B) Rosalind
Franklin, (C) Charles Darwin, (D) James Watson, or (E) Maurice Wilkins.
Let’s remind ourselves of the
events that led to the discovery of DNA structure. In 1951, an English scientist
called Rosalind Franklin began investigating the structure of DNA. She used the technique which
involved passing X-rays through DNA crystals and then taking photographs of the
patterns that the X-rays produced. The 51st photograph, which was
taken in 1952 and has since become known as photo 51, provided a lot of important
evidence.
In 1953, Franklin’s colleague
Maurice Wilkins showed photo 51 to James Watson. James Watson was another scientist
who, along with his research partner Francis Crick, was trying to find out the
structure of DNA. Watson and Crick used information
from photo 51 to come up with their double helix model for the structure of DNA,
which they published the same year without mentioning any of the hard work that
Franklin had done. In 1962, Wilkins, Watson, and Crick
were awarded the Nobel Prize in physiology or medicine for their discoveries.
Although Charles Darwin was a
scientist who made many important discoveries about evolution, his work did not
contribute towards determining the structure of DNA. Therefore, the correct answer is
(C). Charles Darwin was not involved in
the discovery of the structure of DNA.
