Question

Wilkins represents the power of the 'establishment': a dominant group that excludes outsiders. He expects that Rosalind will 'assist' rather than 'heading the study' (p.13) and he excludes Watson and a 'presumptuous young America' (p.28). Crick believes that winning the Nobel Prize will see him own a large country house and have tailored suits. Watson will see his name in books.

Answer 1

Rosalind Franklin's pivotal contributions to the discovery of DNA's structure were historically overlooked due to gender biases. She was not awarded the Nobel Prize alongside Crick, Watson, and Wilkins due to her untimely death and the rules against posthumous recognition. Today, Franklin's role is increasingly acknowledged and celebrated.

Step-by-step explanation:

In the 1950s, the quest to understand the structure of DNA was a significant scientific endeavour. Francis Crick and James Watson at the University of Cambridge, along with other scientists such as Maurice Wilkins and Linus Pauling, were deeply involved in this research. One notable figure in this history is Rosalind Franklin, whose work with X-ray diffraction at Wilkins' lab was critical to the discovery of DNA's structure. Despite her crucial contribution, Franklin's work was overshadowed by her male counterparts, a reflection of the gender biases of the time. Sadly, she passed away before Watson, Crick, and Wilkins were awarded the Nobel Prize in Medicine in 1962, making her ineligible due to the Prize's rules against posthumous awards. In recent years, the recognition of Franklin's work has grown, highlighting the importance of ethical considerations and the accurate representation of contributions in scientific discoveries.