Final answer:
The first model of DNA as a double helix was proposed by James Watson and Francis Crick, not Wilkins and Franklin, although the latter's work was critical in providing evidence for this structure.
Step-by-step explanation:
The statement that Wilkins and Franklin were the first to suggest that the DNA molecule resembled a tightly coiled helix is false. The first proposed model of DNA as a double helix was put forward by James Watson and Francis Crick. However, the work of Rosalind Franklin and R.G. Gosling was crucial in demonstrating the helical nature of DNA, as they provided X-ray diffraction data that underpinned Watson and Crick's model. While Franklin used X-ray diffraction methods to reveal the helical nature, it was Watson and Crick who formulated the double-stranded structural model of DNA, with contributions from Maurice Wilkins' laboratory.