Discoveries and Contributions
X-ray crystallography, or protein crystallography, is widely
used in the scientific community to determine the structure of
proteins and other biological macromolecules. Having knowledge
of the structure of molecules is incredibly important in biology
for it is often needed for the development of vaccines,
antibiotics, and a plethora of other medications.
Rosalind Franklin
Photograph
51
Photograph
51
One of the most
notable X-ray crystallographers to date is Rosalind Franklin,
PhD. Franklin made incredible contributions to discovery of many
important biological structures, most famously the structure of
DNA. Discovering the structure of DNA was a complicated puzzle
for years and years. Scientists had developed several possible
models for what it could be, however, it wasn't until Rosalind
Franklin took Photograph 51using X-ray crystallography that
scientists came to a conclusion. In 1953 researchers Francis
Crick, James Watson, and Maurice Wilkins proposed the idea that
DNA was a double helical molecule, a new hypothesis that was
before unheard of. Watson and Crick were only able to reach this
conclusion by using Rosalind Franklin's photo and her analysis.
Unfortunately, soon after the discovery in 1958, Rosalind passed
away at age 37 from ovarian cancer that was most likely due to
the high levels of radiation she was exposed to daily for years
on end. Watson, Crick, and Wilkins received a Nobel Prize in
Physiology or Medicine in 1962 for their landmark discovery with
no acknowledgement of Franklin's contributions.