For most students today, it is hard to imagine a time when the structure of DNA was unknown. Although this discovery is presented as established fact in biology classes, the revolutionary discovery is a relatively young one. April 25 marked the 50th anniversary of the publication of the seminal paper by Francis Crick and James Watson, which was published in Nature in 1953.
Guardian
“”Both Francis and I had no doubts that DNA was the gene. But most people did,”” said Watson in a 1983 30th anniversary tribute article in the magazine, Nature.
More than any other single paper, this one catalyzed the explosion of research into molecular biology. Simply begun, Watson and Crick open their paper saying they “”wish to suggest a structure for the salt of deoxyribose nucleic acid (DNA). This structure has novel features which are of considerable biological interest.””
The proposed mechanism cemented Watson and Crick as foundation stones in a marvelous edifice that has taken shape over the last half century, adorned with the April 15 announcement from the National Institute of Health that the Human Genome Project has finished its sequencing work.
UCSD celebrated the discovery of the structure of DNA earlier this month in a symposium aimed not only to commemorate the decisive events of the past but also to highlight some of the freshest fruits in the fields of bioinformatics, molecular biology, genetics and biochemistry. Presenting at the symposium was the creme de la creme of those involved in this computational and submicroscopic biology. Nobel laureates Francis Crick, Paul Berg, Arthur Kornberg and Bruce Alberts, who is the president of the National Academy of Science, gave testimony to the phenomenal proliferation of research and scientific discovery. The event was well-attended with faculty members from Stanford, UC San Francisco, California Institute of Technology and other universities from around the nation.
The real benefit of these events comes from the crossing over of ideas from one specialty to another. It was data from other researchers that made the models work for Watson and Crick, a fact that Crick humbly acknowledged in a statement made to TIME magazine for its “”100 Most Important People of the 20th Century.””
“”If Jim and I hadn’t discovered DNA, somebody else was bound to,”” Crick said. “”The structure was waiting there to be discovered.””
It was X-ray crystallography pictures from Maurice Franklin and Rosalind Franklin that helped direct Watson and Crick to the accurate double-helix structure and some organic chemistry advice that helped them match up hydrogen bonds in base pairs. According to the Los Angeles Times, it was a presentation of a colleague’s research that planted the germ of innovation in the minds of Watson and Crick.
Their story is perhaps one of the most well-known accounts in science, alongside Alexander Fleming’s discovery of penicillin and Louis Pasteur’s work to disprove the hypothesis of spontaneous generation. Just like Archimedes’ realization that a crown of gold would displace a certain volume of water, Watson and Crick’s discovery included a triumphant announcement to the public as soon as it occurred.
As the story goes, the two visited the Eagle, their favorite pub in Cambridge, England, where Crick announced that they had just uncovered the secret to life. In time, the two grew to be venerated as ancient Olympic athletes were — the complimentary strands of DNA even being named in honor of the pair.
Perhaps more interesting will be the future progress these two make in their respective fields. Watson traded his position at Harvard University to help run Cold Springs Harbor Laboratories in Long Island, N.Y., and Crick’s decision to move to La Jolla is well-known to UCSD and the Salk Institute, where he refuses to rest on his Nobel laurels, choosing instead to probe the mysteries of consciousness. The penchant for fame and passion for major discoveries continue, abated in these two men who, as leaders in the field of biology, have served as icons for scientific advance in the 20th century.
What enigma will they unravel next? In his 1993 article “”Succeeding in Science: Some Rules of Thumb,”” Watson said: “”Never do anything that bores you. My experience in science is that someone is always telling you to do things that leave you flat. Bad idea. I’m not good enough to do well something I dislike. In fact, I find it hard enough to do well something that I like.””
