The discovery of the macromolecule that makes up chromosomes and genes came about thanks to the research of biologists Francis Crick and James Watson. It was published by the journal Nature on April 25, 1953.
Watson and Crick discovered that DNA had a double helix shape, reminiscent of a spiral staircase made up of nucleotides like rungs. The finding revolutionized biology.
Among other things, because it demonstrated the ability of the gene to give copies of itself when the number of chromosomes doubles during cell division.
In 1962, Watson and Crick were awarded the Nobel Prize in Medicine along with Morris Wilkins, a British researcher who provided them with the X-ray refractive data that confirmed the finding.
Again, a woman was not recognized for her contributions in the field of science . Rosalind Franklin, an expert crystallographer, contributed key data in the discovery of the double helix structure.
But he died four years before the award of the Nobel, and his contribution would not be recognized until many years later.
