Rosalind Franklin was a British chemist and X-ray crystallographer who made contributions to the understanding of the fine structure of DNA.
In 1952, she helped to establish the double helical structure of DNA. She also discovered that DNA existed as a right-handed spiral, which is important because it allows genetic information to be transferred from one generation to the next in an efficient manner.
Franklin’s work on the X-ray diffraction of DNA fibers led to the discovery of the helical structure of the molecule. Her work was instrumental in the development of the standard model of DNA structure.
Rosalind Franklin’s research on the nucleotide sequences of DNA helped to lay the groundwork for the field of molecular biology. She also made important contributions to the understanding of RNA, viruses, and coal.
Franklin was born in 1920 in London, England. She died in 1958 at age 37 from ovarian cancer. Her legacy is one of great scientific achievement and discovery. She is an inspiration to women in science and is one of the most important figures in history of DNA research.
