1. What were your first impressions of the main characters?
James Watson: He can be seen as someone who is quick to judge, somewhat condescending, yet intelligent, suave, and dedicated to his work.
Francis Crick: He does the same research with Watson and they are both teammates. He is also eager to know what is in DNA and the relationship of it with the double-helix, but at the same time is disorganised, and expected Watson to do a majority of work.
Rosalind Franklin: Seeing a woman as a scientist during this time is somewhat rare, so the fact that she has taken up this profession show that she is persistent, dedicated, and smart. The only problem is that she is undervalued because of her gender. She is also very quiet and reserved because she’s in a different country.
Maurice Wilkins: This scientist is seen as somewhat sexist, because he does not believe in the potential of Rosalind’s scientific abilities. At the same time, he seemed to be dedicated to work, but Rosalind seems to do a majority of the work.
2. Compare the research approaches/ styles/ attitudes of Watson and Crick with those of
Franklin.
Franklin does independent research and is doubted by others because of her gender, but Wilkins does not like this approach and is trying to get rid of her. Watson and Crick work together and are considered more credible.
3. Do you think Franklin should have shared her information more freely with the others? Why or why not?
No, I don’t think she should have shared her information more freely because the information she shared about the double helix structure was stolen by other scientists such as Watson and Crick. Even if it was originally hers, she got no credit by the scientific society.
Under what circumst...
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...hich inherited traits, such as those for genetic disease, can be tracked over generations. Throughout out the course of human development, scientists will continue to find new new ways to help the human race through the discovery of the human gene inside of each of us, its uses, as well as complications, that can help the survival of our species.
References
(2014). Retrieved May 29, 2014, from http://www.pbs.org/wnet/dna/timeline/
DNA Timeline: DNA Science from Mendel to Today. (2014). Retrieved May 29, 2014, from http://www.dnai.org/timeline/
History. (2014). Retrieved May 29, 2014, from http://homepage.smc.edu/hgp/history.htm
A model approach. (2014). Retrieved May 29, 2014, from http://undsci.berkeley.edu/article/0_0_0/dna_07
. (2014). Retrieved May 29, 2014, from http://www.nobelprize.org/educational/medicine/dna_double_helix/readmore.html
Many women scientist upheld and defended their positions as learned, scientific individuals. Marie Meurdrac, a French scientist, in a foreword to a publication stated clearly that women’s and men’s minds, if thought in the same manner would hold no difference.(Doc 2) Similarly, Dorothea Erxleben understood and explained why men and women alike look down on her for studying science because they feel that it is an insult.(Doc 9) Her experiences as a female scientist led her to truly grasp why her persecutors acted as they did towards her although this document shows no signs that she thinks the same. Maria Sibylla Merian, a German entomologist, discussed some of her scientific practices that encompass her dedication and fascination with science.(Doc 5) Another example of this whole-hearted dedication comes from Marquis...
Keller, Evelyn Fox. Reflections on Gender and Science: 10th Anniversary Edition. New Haven and London: Yale University, 1995.
No one knew how heredity (passing traits) worked until Gregor Mendel, an Austrian monk, crossbred pea plants in his monastery kitchen garden in 1865. In 1869, gene-hunters found rod-like shape in the nucleus of cells that turned red when dye was added. They named this “Chromosome”, from a Greek word, chroma for color. They also went deeper into the cell and discovered a wispy microscopic thread within the chromosomes, which they named DNA. There were several scientists who did not know about Mendel’s breakthrough at the time, but then in 1900, they rediscovered his experiment and old journal copies.
...ed some credit. People see the novel as a poor presentation of who she was and how important her ideas really were. However, I see that both are to blame. Franklin could have worked closer with Watson instead of withholding her results; Watson could have mentioned her in his work earlier on. I believe that this competitiveness between scientists was beneficial overall. This rivalry provided motivation and even though defeat seemed so near at times, they were able to persevere. There are several ways that Watson and Crick could have found the answer but I believe it is for the best that these events occurred the way they did because the ending result justifies all previous actions. The rivalry that sparked between these scientists yielded some negative results but it led to something even greater: the secret of life.
229). According to the founding members of Royal Society, the rise of the masculine philosophy was going to be accomplished without the involvement of any women. In nineteenth century it twas believed that in order to be able to conduct real science women's exclusions was unquestionably necessary. The male domination in science, and undermining of women's intellect was upsetting a lot of women. Only few women at the time had the courage to challenge this thyps of philosophies and Margaret Cavendish was one of them. Cavendish always expressed her dissatisfaction about the unavailable higher education for women in universities. Cavendish added her concern that if things did not change withe in the near future she would not be able to put her work forward and have her influence on philosophy. Scince the nineteenth century a lot has changed in the benefit of women in science but we still have long way to go until we reach complete equality among sexes in science. Acording to Women, Gender, and Science The need for orbitals in Higher education Ingrid Bartsch mentions that “it is time for ideas already accepted by feminists to permeate the thick insulation that both protects and isolates the natural science, to explore ways that women’s studies and sciences might become legitimate partners in the production of future scientists. Today, with all the women presents in science it is easy to forget about the hardship women had to go trough in the nineteenth
If women lack intelligence and cannot be a scientist, then what should they be? If they can’t act intelligent, then how should they act? Woman should stick to their society roles and stay away from thinking the way a male is expected to think. A woman thinking scientifically is considered to be thinking like a man (Keller 77). Keller’s statement explains that science is considered to be a male subject. It is not appropriate for females to think scientifically. Women then begin to get treated differently because they are not meeting society’s
The rarely known astronomer, Henrietta Leavitt made the discovery of the period-lumination relationship as well as a guideline for measuring the magnitude of stars. Although, these discoveries were monumental in the field of astronomy and became the foundations for many other discoveries, she is almost unknown, like many prominent women in the field of astronomy. This is because science, as both a study as well as a profession, is male dominated and women are not seen as equals or qualified to be in such work. In Leavitt's lifetime, she experienced this sexism in her post-graduate career along with her two major discoveries.
The Double Helix by James Watson is his personal reflection on discovering the structure of the DNA molecule. With contributions of other scientists, James Watson and Francis Crick were able to solve the structure of DNA. Through contributions and integral relationships of Watson and Crick to Maurice Wilkins, Rosalind Franklin, Linus Pauling, and other smaller contributors the DNA structure was finally solved.
Believe it or not, there are many instances in the field of science that people's work have been stolen by fellow scientists. When you hear the name Vera Rubin, what comes to mind? If the answer is nothing then that's understandable, seeing as she is one of many scientists that made significant breakthroughs, but never given the credit for. Just as Rosalind Franklin had been studying DNA structures for a portion of her life, and one of breakthrough discoveries was taken, and the credit given to men, while all she wanted was to share a fascination with her fellow scientists. The history shows that if it hadn’t been for Rosalind, then James Watson, Francis Crick, and Maurice Wilkins might have never come to the conclusion that they did, or it would have taken them the additional number of weeks in order to discover it themselves. If it hadn’t been for women like Rosalind Franklin and Vera Rubin, science would not have been able to move forward in the ways that it did in their time.
One example of this ongoing subjective style can be seen in Watson's writing on women, particularly in his dealings with Rosalind Franklin. The fact that Watson believes that all women are good for is pleasure and keeping house can be seen in the word choice and style of several passages throughout The Double Helix. These passages' subjects include Rosalind Franklin's appearance, appeal, and acceptance of the double helix model and concept.
Smith, Michelle R. “Giving Female Scientists Their Due.” Philly.com. The Philadelphia Inquirer, 17 Oct. 2013. Web. 05 Mar. 2014.
Rosalind Franklin was a very hard working lady, she was an English chemist and a X-ray crystallographer. She would do anything to find how DNA looked and how DNA worked. Apparently nobody knew how it worked or looked so she was going to try to discover how. When they discovered that Rosalind Franklin was a woman trying to figure out DNA they laughed and picked at her. Franklin was definitely a lone wolf she didn't have that many friends considering everyone thought she was crazy. She wasn’t accepted as much because the men expected that women should only be housewives back then. She was invited to a party that the men, Watson,Crick, and Wilkins, had threw. She was also was accepted when she started hanging out with Wilkins. Franklin was educated at a private day school at Norland Place in England. Franklin passed her matriculation at age
Discoveries in DNA, cell biology, evolution, and biotechnology have been among the major achievements in biology over the past 200 years with accelerated discoveries and insight’s over the last 50 years. Consider the progress we have made in these areas of human knowledge. Present at least three of the discoveries you find to be the most important and describe their significance to society, heath, and the culture of modern life.
When most people think of the Scientific Revolution, they think of scientists such as Galileo, Newton, Brahe, and Boyle. However, many people do not even know about the many women who played a vital role in the scientific advancements of this period. Even when these women were alive, most of society either ignored them or publicly disapproved their unladylike behavior. Because of this, these women were often forgotten from history, and very little is known about the majority of them. Although their names rarely appear in history books, the female scientists of the Scientific Revolution still impacted the world of science in several ways. In fact, all of the scientists listed above had a woman playing an influential role assisting them in their research. However, assisting men in their studies was not the only role open to women; several women performed experimentation and research on their own, or advancing science in some other way, even though the society of the time looked down upon and even resisted their studies.
Zuckerman, Harriet, Jonathan Cole and John Bruer (eds.)” The Outer Circle: Women in the Scientific Community” New York: Norton, Print. 1991