Watson and Crick

James Watson and Francis Crick are credited

with discovering the structure of DNA. As a
result of their research, they received the Nobel
Peace Prize in 1962 for their work.

Crick was born in the summer of 1916 in England. As a child, Francis enjoyed science.
His family encouraged his love of science. His uncle allowed him to carry out science
experiments in his garden, and his grandfather even corresponded with Charles Darwin.
He graduated from the University College London, although World War II briefly
interrupted his education. Interestingly, he started as a physical scientist, but later
became a molecular biologist, a person who studies molecules that are present in living
organisms. Crick became friends with James Watson, and they worked together to find
the structure of DNA.

Watson was born in 1928 in Chicago, Illinois. He enjoyed bird-watching as a child and
almost became an ornithologist. Watson received his doctorate in zoology. He eventually
focused on genetics, the study of genes and heredity.

At first, DNA wasn't thought to be an important polymer. Later, Watson and Crick
changed that idea when they proposed the structure and function of DNA. Watson
and Crick, along with Maurice Wilkins and Rosalind Franklin, received the
honor of the Nobel Peace Prize in 1962. They earned this award for their
study of the structure of DNA.

Watson and Crick discovered that DNA was in a double-helix shape

(similar to a twisted ladder). Their discovery was aided by the x-rays
Rosalind Franklin took of DNA. One image in particular, “Image 51,"
provided a very clear image of DNA’s structure. Because of the knowledge
of the structure of DNA, scientists have been able to make huge strides in
medicine. We now understand how DNA is copied and how it codes to
make proteins. Genetics, or the study of heredity, has improved as a
result of understanding DNA’s structure. Molecular biology is also a
field directly impacted by Watson and Crick’s discovery. Huge advances
in medical research have been made as a result of knowledge of DNA’s
structure. The discovery of James Watson and Francis Crick impacted
the understanding of science and human genetics forever.

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 Watson and Crick

Questions
1. What famous award did Watson and Crick receive?
The Albert Einstein Award
The Genetics Award
The Nobel Peace Prize
The Newbury Award
2. What two branches of science did Crick study? 
ornithology and zoology
physical science and molecular biology
chemistry and physics
genetics and physical science
3. What important molecule did Watson and Crick study? 
DNA
RNA
genes
cells
4. What scientist’s work helped Watson and Crick with their study? 
Rosalind Franklin
Albert Einstein
Charles Darwin
Carolus Linnaeus
5. What did Watson and Crick discover about DNA? 




6. How did Watson and Crick’s discovery impact the field of science?




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 Watson and Crick

Answers
1. What famous award did Watson and Crick receive?
The Albert Einstein Award
The Genetics Award
The Nobel Peace Prize
The Newbury Award
2. What two branches of science did Crick study? 
ornithology and zoology
physical science and molecular biology
chemistry and physics
genetics and physical science
3. What important molecule did Watson and Crick study? 
DNA
RNA
genes
cells
4. What scientist’s work helped Watson and Crick with their study? 
Rosalind Franklin
Albert Einstein
Charles Darwin
Carolus Linnaeus
5. What did Watson and Crick discover about DNA? 
Answers will vary. A possible answer is: Watson and Crick discovered that DNA is in a
double-helix shape.

6. How did Watson and Crick’s discovery impact the field of science?
Answers will vary. A possible answer is: Watson and Crick’s discovery is important to science
because it helps us to understand how DNA is copied so it helps us to understand genetics
and heredity better.

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