Video Transcript
What key piece of information about
the structure of DNA was obtained from Rosalind Franklin’s experiments? (A) Adenine pairs with thymine, and
cytosine pairs with guanine. (B) The base pairs are held
together with hydrogen bonds. (C) Double-stranded DNA could be
split into single strands by heating. (D) The backbone of DNA is
comprised of phosphate molecules and nitrogenous bases. Or (E) the shape of DNA is a double
helix.
Rosalind Franklin was a scientist
investigating the structure of DNA in the 1950s. She made some key discoveries that
advanced our understanding of genetic material. She used a technique called X-ray
crystallography to help determine the shape of DNA. Let’s dive into the answers and
rule out those that are incorrect.
While answers (A), (B), and (D) are
all true statements, they are not the most appropriate answers to this question. Franklin was interested in the
shape of DNA, not the chemical composition. In addition, Franklin’s primary
method of experimentation was not heating; it was X-ray crystallography. Therefore, answer (C) would also be
incorrect.
Franklin’s work with X-ray
crystallography produced images that were later analyzed by Watson and Crick, who
published the discovery of the double helix. The correct answer is therefore
(E). The key piece of information about
the structure of DNA that was obtained from Rosalind Franklin’s experiments was that
the shape of DNA is a double helix.
