Why Research Wednesday - Famous Feature: Rosalind Franklin

It was not until I took biology courses at Emory that I first heard about the monumental impact Rosalind Franklin had in the scientific field. It is disappointing to see that many women scientists are often not given the credibility they deserve for contributing to science, which is what motivated me to learn more about Franklin and her work. I was astonished to learn about her hard work and perseverance in biology and this inspired me to continue pursuing research.

Rosalind Franklin played a crucial role in discovering the structure of DNA. Born in 1920, Franklin was born into an upper-class family in London, UK and attended St. Paul’s Girls’ School. She began her secondary education at the University of Cambridge in 1938, where she studied natural sciences and was awarded a research fellowship to conduct research in physical chemistry. However, with the onset of World War II, Franklin got involved with the British Coal Utilisation Research Association where she studied the physical chemistry of carbon and coal for use in the war. She eventually received a doctorate with her research from Cambridge.

Franklin then relocated to Paris in 1947 to study X-ray diffraction at the State Chemical Laboratory, which she then applied to the study of DNA at King’s College in 1951. She discovered the density of DNA and established its helical structure, which laid out the groundwork for future studies and greatly advanced the understanding of DNA as we know it today. Franklin also collaborated on studies showing that RNA was a single stranded helix, unlike DNA. Unfortunately, Franklin passed away from cancer in 1958 but her contributions to science remain monumental to this day.

By: Aastha Bansal

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