Unzipping the Secret of Life How Watson and Crick’s Discovery of the Structure of DNA Influenced American Industries and Scientific Development in the United States Pooja Belur, May 4, 2014, B Period Introduction In 1953, Francis Crick bragged to his fellow colleagues from the Cavendish Laboratory (Cambridge), claiming that he and his American partner, James Watson, had “discovered the secret of life.” The claim, made in a bar over a glass of alcohol, was not unusual from the pair. In fact, workers in the Cavendish often found Crick to be tactless, arrogant and noisy; one even went so far as to comment that he had “never seen Francis Crick in a modest mood.” Yet, a little over a century later, it is undeniable that Crick’s statement is true. Using information derived from a number of other scientists, primarily Rosalind Franklin and Maurice Wilkins of King’s College, the duo solved a puzzle that had plagued biologists for decades; they created a three-dimensional model of the DNA helix. The molecule consisted of a double helix with phosphates, deoxyribose sugar molecules, and nitrogenous bases. If the spirals were split, the DNA could replicate, which explained why genes were transferred from parents to their children. Additionally, the order of compounds on the DNA indicated that there was a unique ‘code’ on each strand. Watson and Crick believed that this ‘code’ was translated into specific proteins. , , These discoveries about the structure of DNA allowed scientists to explore the genome and develop a stronger understanding of genes. Within a decade of its discovery, other scientists had identified the genes responsible for specific diseases and traits. The discovery of the structure of DNA created a basis for ... ... middle of paper ... ... to investigate commonly performed functions and human ingested medications. Conclusion DNA is the blueprint of life from its creation to its development and until its death. The discovery of the structure of DNA not only revolutionized science and medicine, but it also affected many other facets of existence: evolutionary, industrial, legal, and criminal justice. Its incarnation has benefitted American families and industries and spurred scientific innovation throughout the country. Aptly stated by Francis Crick, “your joys and your sorrows, your memories and your ambitions, your sense of identity and freewill, are in fact no more than the behavior of a vast assembly of nerve cells and their associated molecules. As Lewis Carroll’s Alice might have phrased it: ‘you’re nothing but a pack of neurons.’ [Watson and my] discovery illustrates how that is possible.”
The following is a review of the book, The Double Helix, by James D. Watson that was published in 1968. Here the Norton Critical Edition will be used for page numbering and insights for this review, which was edited by Gunter S. Stent and published in 1980. The Double Helix is a personal recollection of the period of time when the structure of DNA was discovered. James D. Watson (Watson) along with Francis Crick (Crick) were the two scientists who published a paper in 1953 which purposed a structure for DNA. For the most part their structure has stood the test of time, and since that time period many people have wanted to know details of how they discovered DNA’s structure (pp. 3). Therefore Watson’s purpose in writing the book was to describe his personal view of the events that lead to discovery of DNA’s three-dimensional structure, when they happened in 1952-53. He is well qualified to give an account of these things, for he was there in the middle of everything; he was one of the main players. In order to describe the events, apart from his sharp memory, Watson used letters he wrote to his family to help him remember dates and details, as well as suggestions from his associates who reviewed his manuscript. In the following paragraphs I will summarize the text, and follow that with my own review of
The essential component of life can be acknowledged and is made up of a nucleic acid known as DNA. DNA is the abbreviated form for the word deoxyribonucleic acid and it is the “carrier of genetic information” (McMurry, Ballantine, Hoeger, & Peterson, 1992, pg. 775). DNA contains the genetic instructions that are needed for an organism to develop, survive, and replicate, as it plays a crucial role in living systems that makes each species unique and distinctive. The multifaceted material is stored in every cell of every living organisms and it contains information about our nature, appearance, performance, etc. With the instructions that it contains, DNA is passed from the adult organism to their offspring during reproduction. (McMurry, Ballantine, Hoeger, & Peterson, 1992, pg.777).
In 1989, molecular biologist Norton Zinder said,”Today we begin” (Begley 56). With these words, Zinder and the National Institutes of Health (NIH), formally launched a monumental effort that could rival in scope both the Manhattan Project, witch created the A-bomb, and the Apollo moon-landing program-and may exceed them in importance (Jaroff95). The Program will map the human and spell out for the world the entire message hidden in its chemical code. Robert Sinsheimer of the University of California at Santa Barbara says,”The human gene is the complete set of instructions for making a human being “(Begley57). The achievement of the project would launch a new era in medicine. They would be able to predict an individual vulnerability and could eventually develop new drugs to treat or even prevent them. Though they may not have known, thi...
Most major discoveries have exciting stories to accompany them and account for said discovery. The discovery of DNA’s double helix by James Watson and Francis Crick is no exception.
They worked at the university of england where they figured out the first dna molecule, they discovered the famed “secret of life”. The structure of DNA is like a twisted ladder. If a DNA cell is broken then it can regenerate itself making it new. According to robert snedden, “the cell's genetic material is inherited characteristics that is carried by DNA to the genetic material.” the chromosome is a very long strand of DNA that is wrapped in proteins. Enzymes are bring more nucleotides to the two unzipped DNA. why in the world did i say unzipped? Because instead of thing of a ladder think of a twisted zipper the bases make the DNA paired up, linking across the molecule like the interlocked “teeth of a zipper. Bases always pair up the same way. W1hen DNA is duplicated, the first thing that happens is the zipper is
James Watson was an American geneticist , he was most famous for his co-discovery in DNA structure. Deoxyribonucleic acid or DNA is a molecule that contains the instructions an organism needs to develop, live and reproduce. These instructions are found inside every cell, and are passed down from parents to their children. In 1953 James Watson and Francis Crick discovered DNA structure at Cambridge University.
DNA has a specific structure composed of nucleotides. Nucleotides are composed of a sugar, a phosphate group, and a base. A DNA molecule is made up of two polynucleotide chains, forming a double helix. Adenine pairs up with thymine to make one nucleotide chain and guanine is always paired with cytosine to make another nucleotide chain. In viruses, DNA molecules can have anywhere from 5,000 to over 200,000 nucleotides. A human cell contains more than 3 billion pairs of linked nucleotides. The DNA molecule is very tightly packaged. The packed form of DNA is a chromosome. DNA unwinds so that it can be copied.
DNA sequence was the core of genomic research until the emergence of epigenomics where it has been discovered that the surrounding chemical compounds can direct the way the genome functions as a whole.
McDonald & Lehman, (2012). Says in 1953, Rosalind Franklin, James Watson, Francis Crick discovered DNAs double helix structure consisting of two twisted strands of polymers held together by hydrogen bonds that form between the complementary base pairing of nucleotides: adenine, to thymine and cytosine to guanine. A discovery that led to questions about how DNA variability are differences in the arrangement of base pairs and is
Scientist set out to do research dealing with genomics. The group leader was James Watson, in the beginning they broke up the sequencing instead of doing it in wholesome when hunting for disease genes. Not only did the scientist study genes, they also studied yeast, bacteria, and so forth. They studied other organisms before human DNA (deoxyribonucleic acid) because they thought it would be essential to the experiments to practice first. They practiced first with yeast and bacteria to get a hang of things and to figure out what to do before they move to human DNA (deoxyribonucleic acid) which was more
Simply put, DNA contains the instructions needed for an organism to develop, survive, and reproduce. The discovery and use of DNA has seen many changes and made great progress over many years. James Watson was a pioneer molecular biologist who is credited, along with Francis Crick and Maurice Wilkins, with discovering the double helix structure of the DNA molecule. The three won the Nobel Prize in Medicine in 1962 for their work (Bagley, 2013). Scientists use the term “double helix” to describe DNA’s winding, two-stranded chemical structure.
For a long time, scientists have been researching about DNA and its structures. DNA is strongly related to genetics and how living things perform. Two very intelligent scientists, James Watson and Francis Crick, have made history in Biochemistry when they discovered the structure of DNA. The central idea of this paper is researching the history of DNA structure discovery and about why it is very important. Discovery of DNA structure is very important because DNA is what makes all living things behave the way they do and studying DNA also means learning why living things act this way. DNA structure is a key part of organism traits, behavior, and development of all living organisms.
The concept of microbiology emerged in the late 1600s when Antonie van Leeuwenhoek first observed bacteria and other microorganisms using a single lens microscope. The microscope manufactured and used by Leeuwenhoek served as a catalyst for the field of microbiology, exposing a whole world of microorganisms. With the utilization of tools like microscopes and methods like ink staining, scientist have been able to step into a seemingly invisible world and note the contribution of microorganisms to human life. These tools and methods have been essential to the discovery that DNA was the macromolecule charged with the transformational ability of genetic information in bacterial cells
As a young man I used to exploring science as more fun than regular study. Right from my school days, I always enjoy studying biology. Under the guidance of my respectable biology teacher at school, dissecting the frogs gave me hands on experience to see the amphibians different biological systems. I came to know about the genes and DNA in cells determines all the developmental, physiological and pathological characteristics. I used to question myself as to how could these molecules, though very small in size, could orchestrate living organism’s biological properties. When I was in 10th grade, I read an interesting article on human genome project published in Time magazine. That article influenced me to drive my education journey towards molecular biology and genetic engineering after my school.