Final answer:
James Watson, Francis Crick, and Maurice Wilkins were awarded the Nobel Prize in 1962 for the discovery of DNA's structure, with a key contribution from Rosalind Franklin who was not recognized due to her passing and Nobel policies.
Step-by-step explanation:
Scientists James Watson, Francis Crick, and Maurice Wilkins were awarded the Nobel Prize for their groundbreaking work on the molecular structure of DNA. In 1962, they shared the Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine for the discovery of the double helix structure of DNA, which has two strands of nucleotides forming into a spiral.
This foundational work on DNA's structure was greatly informed by the X-ray diffraction data produced by Rosalind Franklin, although she sadly passed away before the Nobel was awarded and was not recognized by the Nobel Committee due to their policy against awarding posthumously.
Other scientists like Linus Pauling also contributed to the broader understanding of molecular structures, though Pauling's initial DNA model turned out to be incorrect. Despite this, Pauling was a notable scientist of the time, having won two Nobel Prizes in other areas.