Final answer:
Rosalind Franklin's research using X-ray diffraction was instrumental for Crick and Watson to deduce the double helix structure of DNA, leading to the Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine awarded to Watson, Crick, and Wilkins in 1962; sadly, Franklin's contributions were not equally acknowledged due to her passing before the award.
Step-by-step explanation:
Contributions of Rosalind Franklin to DNA Structure Discovery. From Rosalind Franklin's medical research, Crick was able to deduce that the structure of DNA is a double helix. Franklin, using X-ray diffraction methods, provided critical data that revealed the helical nature of DNA. Watson and Crick utilized this information, in conjunction with their own research and Crick's knowledge of X-ray diffraction techniques, to devise the double-stranded structural model of DNA. The revelation of DNA's structure was a pivotal moment in molecular biology, for which Watson, Crick, and Maurice Wilkins were awarded the Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine in 1962. Regrettably, Rosalind Franklin, whose key contributions to this discovery went unrecognized by the Nobel Committee due to her premature death, did not share in this honor as Nobel Prizes are not awarded posthumously.