Molecular Miracle

James Watson – born on this day in 1928 – is a man whose work has revolutionised science and changed lives. The elucidation of the DNA double helix has been heralded as ‘the scientific discovery of the 20th century’. Almost sixty years ago, together with Francis Crick, Watson constructed a 3D model of DNA supported by X-ray crystallography data from Rosalind Franklin. A decade later in 1962, Crick and Watson were awarded a joint Nobel Prize along with Maurice Wilkins for their research on the structure of nucleic acids. Their model paved the way for a mechanism to explain how DNA replicates. And the DNA structure provided a firm basis on which to predict how our genome is read and decoded into architectural and functional protein that makes up our cells. Understanding such phenomena, which happen trillions of times in our bodies every day – is the basis of molecular medicine.

Written by Brona McVittie

Brona McVittie

Writer/Consultant

Independent science blogger and musician. Got the whole BPoD show on the road while heading up the public engagement team at the MRC CSC. Loves gardening, cooking and diving. Makes corkbots too.

• Originally published under Creative Commons (CC-BY 2.0)
• National Institutes of Health, USA