Hidden Figures in Genetics

Today in the genetic world of science we have successfully mapped the entire human genome, and are going to hopefully use this to better the medical community. But not too long ago, we didn’t even know what DNA looked like. Famously, we remember that James Watson and Francis Crick discovered the double helix shape of DNA, but they were not the ones who actually figured it out. Rosalind Franklin is now known for being one of the most robbed scientists, as the structure of DNA was truly her discovery. She used X-rays to take a picture of DNA, but her partner showed this photo to Watson and Crick without her knowing, allowing them to discover the shape and publish it before her. She died before Watson, Crick, and her partner Wilkins received a Nobel Prize for these discoveries, so it is unknown if she would have gotten the credit that she deserved and also get awarded the prize, but her name is not one that is written in textbooks. We look back and remember the men who stole her picture, and published something that wasn’t there’s.

Source: https://www.nationalgeographic.com/news/2013/5/130519-women-scientists-overlooked-dna-history-science/