Blog #6: Exposure 51
In 1952, Rosalind Franklin captured a photograph of what has come to be known as the "most important photo ever." A black and white image of the structure of a DNA molecule, acquired through the process of shining an x-ray beam at a hydrated sample of DNA for over 60 hours, "Exposure 51" sparked a scientific backstabbing that would alter the course of biology.
Not only was "Exposure 51" the first ever image of DNA, but it also led to the discovery of DNA's structure by Watson and Crick, two scientists who stole Franklin's research and published their own paper as a result. Because of that photograph, Watson and Crick were able to deduce important flaws in their research, subsequently shifting their later work to better fit that of the structure revealed in the image. This led to their eventual publishing of a scientific paper on the structure of DNA that did not provide credit to Franklin and resulted in their eventual receipt of a Nobel Peace prize following her death.
For reference view this link: BBC
Works Cited for Blog #5 and #6
Barton, Lisa. “AP Biology: Rosalind Franklin: She's Worth Another Look: AP Central – The College Board.” AP Central, 23 June 2017, https://apcentral.collegeboard.org/courses/ap-biology/classroom-resources/rosalind-franklin-shes-worth-another-look.
“Evolution: Library: The Discovery of DNA's Structure.” PBS, Public Broadcasting Service, https://www.pbs.org/wgbh/evolution/library/06/3/l_063_01.html.
“History - Historic Figures: Watson and Crick (1928- ).” BBC, BBC, https://www.bbc.co.uk/history/historic_figures/watson_and_crick.shtml.
Jones, Jeffrey M. “Americans Grade Math as the Most Valuable School Subject.” Gallup.com, Gallup, 7 May 2021, https://news.gallup.com/poll/164249/americans-grade-math-valuable-school-subject.aspx#:~:text=Men%20overwhelmingly%20say%20math%20has,as%20the%20most%20valuable%20subject.
Machado, Tyler, et al. “Do Women Publish Less than Men in Scientific Fields? Turns out, Scientists Have Been Asking the Wrong Question.” News @ Northeastern, 22 Apr. 2020, https://news.northeastern.edu/2020/03/05/do-women-publish-less-than-men-in-scientific-fields-turns-out-scientists-have-been-asking-the-wrong-question/.
Neadle, David. “Women in Science - A Historical Perspective.” Royal Society of Chemistry, https://www.rsc.org/news-events/community/2016/may/women-in-science/.
Walsh, Fergus. “The Most Important Photo Ever Taken?” BBC News, BBC, 16 May 2012, https://www.bbc.com/news/health-18041884.
Daniela Guadarrama:
ReplyDeleteI think that your context of how she was wronged is good so far, I think that including ways to properly credit her for her research should be included. Do you believe that students who are learning about this learn that she was the main reason that there was information?
(Marcel Apatewen) I believe that this topic is relevant to me especially because, as a STEM major, in bio, while Rosalind Franklin's name is briefly mentioned, we mainly give Watson & Crick the praise. Do you believe that Rosalind's work was wholly forgotten or that the fact she is still mentioned means that there isn't a great emphasis to learn more about her.
ReplyDelete