Rosalind Franklin, Francis Crick And Maurice Wilkins

James Watson, Rosalind Franklin, Francis Crick and Maurice Wilkins were an unlikely group. They were a bird biologist, a coal structure expert, an architect for underwater mines, and a nuclear physicist. All contributed in different ways to better understand the structure of DNA and how it plays a part in passing on traits to offspring.

In their era different discoveries were just emerging, which laid a ground work for which they could work. Scientists had just discovered that traits were in something called chromosomes which had two components; proteins and DNA. New technology allowed them to do discover these things. Maurice Wilkins, the nuclear physicist, harnessed his expertise in order to make a visual picture of it. He used something
called X-ray diffraction to show a 3D structure of the DNA.

All these different events had to happen at the same time in order for them to discover what they did. Also, each individual brought some form of expertise that was applicable to affect the outcome of their breakthrough. Their discovery in mapping DNA has made a huge impact on our society. It paved the road for what we know today as molecular biology. Today, we have accomplished many things such as mapping the human genome, and even creating clones of animals.