Rosalind Elsie Franklin
Personal Information
Born: 1920
Died: 1958
Country of Birth: Great Britain
Nationality: Great Britain
Ethnicity: White
Education
Newnham College, Cambridge Natural Sciences Degree 1941; University of Cambridge PhD Physical Chemistry 1945
Professional Life
Field of Study: Physical Chemistry; X-ray crystallography
Institution/Corporation: British Coal Utilisation Research Association; Birkbeck, University of London; King s College London; Laboratoire Central des Services Chimiques de l Etat
Degrees & Memberships: Member: Jewish Society; National Honorary Member Iota Sigma Pi (1982)
Awards & Achievements
Awards: 1997, asteroid named 9241 Rosfranklin; 2008, Honorary Louisa Gross Horwitz Prize, Columbia University; 2013, Google Doodle; 2020, Time 100 Women of the Year for 1953; June 30, 2021, satelitte named after her was launched into space
Achievements: Known for the structure of DNA, Fine structure of coal & graphite, structures of viruses; her Photo 51 revealed the double helix of DNA; Mars Rover named after her; helped classify coals & accurately predict their performance for fuel purposes & for production of wartime devices such as face masks; coined the terms graphitising & non-graphitising carbon; in 2023, scientists, based on new evidence, concluded she was a contributor & equal player in the discovery process of DNA; 1955, discovered all tobacco mosaic virus (TMV) particles were the same length; was researching polio virus at the time of her death; numerous buildings, laboratories, awards, fellowships, schools, societies, lecture series, research centers, roads, & a bacterial genus have been named after her
Confirmed Watson-Crick DNA model with Photo 51
Was never awarded a Nobel Prize because it's not given posthumously & she died at age 38
Her biographer, Brenda Maddox, called her "The Dark Lady of DNA"
Was an expert in x-ray diffraction photos
Discovered B-DNA-a 2nd type of DNA that forms after DNA is exposed to high levels of moisture
An asteroid roughly between the orbits of Mars & Jupiter is named Rosfranklin in tribute to her
Helped lay the foundation for the field of structural virology