Carter Turner
HIST 108 - 005
Essay #7 - Rosalind Franklin
4/22/2015
Credit where it’s Due In 1962, the Nobel Peace Prize in Medicine was awarded to James Watson, Francis Crick and Maurice Wilkins for illuminating the structure of DNA while revealing genetic replication. Missing from the list of winners, unfortunately, is Rosalind Franklin. Though Franklin produced no relevant science regarding DNA after 1958, her contributions in genetic replication and other scientific research and work made her deserving of being recognized along with the three other scientists. Best known for her ten published essays, personal financing of research initiatives and knowledge regarding the uncovering of the exquisite structure of DNA, Franklin came from…show more content… The team members were competent and intelligent enough to work together in the uncovering of multiple attributes leading to the ultimate discovery. In the actual speech when the award was being bestowed, it was stated that, "Deoxyribonucleic acid is a high polymer composed of a few types of building blocks, which occur in large numbers… It is for the discovery of how these building blocks are coupled together in three dimensions that this year's Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine has been awarded to…" (Award Ceremony Speech). Notice the building blocks here used as symbolism to represent the many different steps, successes and failures that led to the discovery of the main building blocks - sugar, phosphate, and nitrogen-containing chemical bases. Rosalind Franklin was intricately involved behind the scenes in the research and discovery of these building blocks that led to the understanding of “the most vital biological processes” (Award Ceremony Speech). For that reason, she undeniably deserved to be recognized and to receive the Nobel…show more content… Chances are extremely high that her study and research would make her a candidate for the award in other areas of science or medicine research (Starkey). Because of her dedication to this specific DNA study and related research, Rosalind Franklin deserved to receive clear and distinct credit and acknowledgement from her “teammates.” She led them to their ultimate discovery. Without her crucial research and discoveries, specifically X-ray diffraction, DNA replication would not have been discovered in the awarded manner and time frame. References “Award Ceremony Speech". Nobelprize.org. Nobel Media AB 2014. Web. 19 Apr 2015. <http://www.nobelprize.org/nobel_prizes/medicine/laureates/1962/press.html> Klug, A. "Rosalind Franklin and the Discovery of the Structure of DNA." MRC Laboratory of Molecular Biology, Cambridge 219: 808-844. Web. 19 Apr. 2015.