LIFE SCIENCE

Detailed explanation-1: -Abstract. In 1962, James Watson, Francis Crick and Maurice Wilkins received the Nobel prize for the discovery of the structure of DNA. Notably absent from the podium was Rosalind Franklin, whose X-ray photographs of DNA contributed directly to the discovery of the double helix.

Detailed explanation-2: -And a still smaller number know that Rosalind Franklin, another English scientist, was not given this great honour although her work was an important contribution to Watson, Crick and Wilkins’ discovery. She died very young in 1958 at the age of 38 and the Nobel Prize is not given posthumously.

Detailed explanation-3: -This is Linus Pauling’s failed attempt to predict the structure of DNA. The problem with his triple helix model is that the phosphates form the helical core, with the bases pointing outwards. This would be impossible under normal cellular conditions.