He is the great forgotten Nobel. In 1952, a British chemist discovered the structure of DNA. But ten years later the credit would go to three other… male researchers. Story told by Virginia Giraud*.
In 2008, British scientist Rosalind Franklin was posthumously awarded the Louise Gross-Horwitz Prize, which finally recognizes her contribution to basic research. There is one he will never have: the Nobel. However, it is to him that we owe the discovery of the double helix structure of DNA in the heart of the 1950s, but on his way there were zealous colleagues who betrayed him.
Born in 1920, Rosalind is a gifted child. Determined, she managed to study at a time when British universities barely tolerated women. In 1950, with a thesis and based on his experience with the Curie family in France, he joined the laboratory at King’s College London, where he worked on DNA. Everything must be discovered in this area. The battle for the Nobel Prize is open, and his colleague Maurice Wilkins is the favorite.
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Low kicks and kicks
Rosalind is not a theorist. He manipulates the material, does not publish it…
Source: Le Figaro
