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Why did Rosalind Franklin and Maurice Wilkins perform their experiment? What was the purpose? (Or what was their hypothesis before the experiment?)

User Bmoran
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Final answer:

Rosalind Franklin and Maurice Wilkins performed their experiment to understand the structure of DNA. Franklin's X-ray diffraction images of DNA provided crucial information that allowed Watson and Crick to confirm that DNA forms a double helix.

Step-by-step explanation:

Rosalind Franklin and Maurice Wilkins performed their experiment to understand the structure of DNA. Their hypothesis was that DNA consists of two forms: a long, thin fiber formed when wet (type "B") and a short, wide fiber formed when dried (type "A"). Rosalind Franklin's X-ray diffraction images of DNA provided crucial information that allowed Francis Crick and James Watson to confirm that DNA forms a double helix.

User IRD
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Rosalind Franklin and Maurice Wilkins performed their experiment to study the structure of DNA and determine its helical nature.
User Joel Brewer
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