THE WORKING GAL
We have already mentioned the challenges a woman faces in the STEM fields, but Rosalind Franklin is a great example of a female inspiration having attributed to Science, and yet not having achieved to take the credits for her accomplishments.
We are in 1962
and researchers James Watson, Francis Crick, and Maurice Wilkins receive the Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine for their discovery of the structure of DNA. A name, however, is missing from the award ceremony. This is the name of Rosalind Franklin, one of the most marginalized female scientists whose work was recognized years after her death. Let us take a brief look at her research career and how she was "stolen" not one but two Nobel Prizes.
Rosalind Franklin was born in 1920 in London and, at the age of 18, she received a scholarship to study chemistry at Cambridge University. She completes her doctoral dissertation and specializes in X-ray crystallography.
In 1951 he enrolled at King's College to investigate the structure of DNA;˙ perhaps the most ardent scientific question of the day. She is placed in the same laboratory as Maurice Wilkins without him having been informed. A collaboration seems impossible from the beginning, as it never becomes clear which of the two is in charge. The clash between the fighting Franklin and the shy Wilkins is not long in coming.
For the 1950s science community, Franklin's presence at one of England's most important universities was not only not pleasant, but her work environment made it clear. Franklin feels marginalized, while Wilkins begins to analyze her findings without asking for her permission. At the same time, James Watson and Francis Crick are at the University of Cambridge, trying feverishly to design the DNA model, collecting published - and unpublished - data. They build a model within a week and invite researchers from King's College to evaluate it. Among them, Franklin observes the model, lists the reasons why it is wrong, and then leaves. She believes that you can make models with this method, but it is impossible to prove what is right.
Based on scientific observation and analysis, Franklin's research leads her to conclusive evidence of DNA structure when she released the famous photograph 51 in 1952. It is the most precise DNA image ever obtained and one of the most essential elements of modern science. Following the publication of her findings, her recognition was a one-way street.
But life had other plans. Or rather, her partner, Maurice Wilkins, had other plans. From the beginning of their coexistence, Wilkins transfers the results of her research to the team of Watson and Crick, with whom she maintains friendly relations. While Franklin has agreed to leave King's College and prepare for her move, Wilkins reads her findings, and photo 51 reaches his hands. He shows it to Watson, who writes in his autobiography about that moment: "My mouth fell open and my pulse began to race" (The double Helix, 1968). He draws the helix in a newspaper and rushes to Crick. They gather the data published so far, together with the unpublished ones that have been unknowingly stolen from Franklin, and make another model -this time the right one.
They published a two-page article in the journal Nature in April 1953, in which they described their model and a DNA replication mechanism. Franklin's findings are published in the same issue but are placed after the article by Watson and Crick and thus are considered supporting evidence, verifying the model already proposed in the previous pages.
Franklin worked from 1953 to 1958 at Birkbeck College, focusing her research interests on the structure and function of viruses. In 1956, she discovered that she had ovarian cancer, probably due to her long-term exposure to X-rays, the harmful effects of which were not yet known. In 1958, at the age of 37, she breathed her last.
The 1962 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine was awarded to Watson, Crick, and Wilkins, and Franklin's name was never mentioned. In 1982, Aaron Klug's partner won the Nobel Prize in Chemistry, completing the project she started. He even stated that if she were alive, they would have received the award together.
Rosalind Franklin's contribution to the advancement of science and the understanding of the functioning of the basic structures of life has been decisive. A woman determined, very intelligent, and passionate about research, who managed to excel in a male-dominated and hostile environment. For all of us who follow in her footsteps, her name will always be etched in our memory, and her story will never cease to inspire us.
Rosalind Franklin, thank you!
Bibliography
- Benderly BL (2018). Rosalind Franklin and the damage of gender harassment. Science. https://www.sciencemag.org/careers/2018/08/rosalind-franklin-and-damage-gender-harassment
- Elliot E. (2016). Women is science: Remembering Rosalind Franklin. The Jackson Laboratory. https://www.jax.org/news-and-insights/jax-blog/2016/july/women-in-science-rosalind-franklin#
- Elkin L. (2003). Rosalind Franklin and the double helix. Physics today, 55(3), 42. https://doi.org/10.1063/1.1570771
- Maddox, B. The double helix and the 'injured heroine'. Nature 421, 407–408 (2003). https://doi.org/10.1038/nature01399
