Science History News

New Evidence: Franklin Recognized DNA Helix Before Watson

A new study in the Journal of the History of Biology argues that Rosalind Franklin understood the helical structure of DNA before James Watson and Francis Crick. By analyzing her lab notes, researchers found that Franklin identified the helix in an earlier, lower-quality image (Photograph 49) and subsequently captured the famous Photograph 51 to document that specific finding. This challenges Watson’s memoir, which implied Franklin failed to grasp the significance of her own data.