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Rosalind Elsie Franklin

Rosalind Elsie Franklin
It has always been a mystery to people why humans look the way they do and do the things that they do. Many wondered where all of the information came from to design a human. After the discovery of DNA and later its structure, many scientists began to search for the genetic code of humans. So, in 1990, the Human Genome Project began a fifteen year task of mapping out the entire human gene code, funded by the Department of Energy and the National Institute of Health. Their goal was to identify all of the genes in human DNA, while addressing the ethical, social, and legal issues. They hoped to incorporate what they have learned to improve health care, agriculture, energy, and the ecosystem (“About the HGP”). James Watson was given the honor by the NIH to head the Human Genome Project, and suggested that 3% of the budget be used to research the social and ethical issues (“A History of the HGP”). Many accredit James Watson and Francis Crick with this genetic revolution; however the work of Rosalind Franklin is often overlooked. Rosalind Franklin’s work with DNA and X-Ray diffraction was the main instigator in the modern genetic revolution and in the development of the Human Genome Project, and was improperly recognized in Watson and Crick’s proposed structure of DNA because of her premature death, the lack of confidentiality of her work, and sexism.
Due to Franklin’s premature death, she left this world without ever being awarded for her work on DNA and left some unfinished research. She was truly a bright woman with aspiring potential in the sciences from the very beginning. Rosalind Elsie Franklin was born on July 25th, 1920 in London, UK into a Jewish family. She started her schooling at St. Paul’s School for Girls. Afterwards, she attended Newnham College at Cambridge University, where she received her Bachelor’s degree in natural sciences with a specialty in physical chemistry (Elkin 42). In 1941, she was hired to research gas-phase...