Read the introduction and the “Right Timing” pages of The structure of DNA: Cooperation and Competition. After reading this, you’ll need to watch the movie Double Helix and respond to the following questions.
- Describe how the following folk contributed to our current understanding of DNA structure:
- Linus Pauling
- Erwin Chargaff
- Rosalind Franklin and Maurice Wilkins
- James Watson and Francis Crick
- At least one other person
- List some pieces of information that were critical to the process that led Watson and Crick to their momentous insight.
- Rosalind Franklin died in 1958 from ovarian cancer. The Nobel Prize is never awarded posthumously (to people who have already died). In addition, a Nobel Prize is only awarded to a maximum of 3 people at one time. Imagine Franklin had NOT died. Who do you think would have gotten the award in 1962? Why?
- What did you think of this movie?