Crick and Watson were able to draw a model out of the information that they had collected. The information they were certain of was that the B - form

Transcription

1 DNA One World Essay The film Life Story tells the story of the discovery of DNA in the 1950 s and the role each of the four scientists played. Maurice Wilkins started the whole DNA project, or was the initiator. The scientists to create the first true model however were Francis Crick and James Watson, who believed that DNA held the secret of life. Rosalind Franklin worked with crystalline x-rays and was the first to find usable evidence of the helical structure. At the end of the day there was not just one scientist who discovered DNA, but many. The discovery of DNA was approached in three different ways. Wilkins believed that if everybody worked together and shared their discoveries with each other, they would be able to find a model for DNA. Crick and Watson only thought of it as a race and Rosalind Franklin only believed in evidence, not in making assumptions. Each scientist had a different view point in how to approach DNA. Franklin was all about the evidence and disregarded any assumptions. To paraphrase what she said, Satisfaction does not come from knowing what but why (Life Story). Crick and Watson thought of it as a race and did not want to waste their time in finding evidence to support their ideas. Maurice viewed science as a communal activity and always assumed the best. The approach Crick and Watson took to find DNA contradicts Franklin s approach. One would imagine that Rosalind Franklin would have created the first model since she was the one carrying out all of the experiments and held nearly all of the information. However it was Crick and Watson who founded the first model even though they carried out near to no experiments, and got all of their information off of others. Even though Watson and Crick s approach to science was not the most ideal, it was effective because they were passionate and devoted to the discovery. They were willing to take chances and make mistakes. Science is about failing but then adapting to your mistakes to end with a result. If only Rosalind had had the same mindset she may have been the one to create the model. Maurice s approach was more appropriate to science, working together for one purpose and goal, sharing and building off of each other s ideas and findings rather than working alone and in secret. Due to Wilkins willingness to share any information Crick and Watson were able to create a model of DNA. From other s findings they got the helical structure from the crystalline x - rays and paired guanine to cytosine and adenine to thymine with hydrogen bonds (as you can see in the diagram below). So at the end of the day it was a communal effort and achievement. An effective way to approach science is to work with others freely, willingly and openly.

2 Crick and Watson were able to draw a model out of the information that they had collected. The information they were certain of was that the B - form had proven that DNA has a helical structure, and so the chains must run in opposite directions. They were positive that the bases paired up with each other, a purine to a pyrimidine. The matching up of the bases is important because The specific base pairing underlies the perfect copying of the molecule, which is essential for heredity (Nobel Prize). Maurice Wilkins had a lot of good qualities to him, such as being a collaborative worker. However his open mindedness to any findings and assumptions worked as a disadvantage because it made Rosalind conceal her information. She hid her findings because Wilkins was too open and eager for any possible suggestion that supported his hypothesis of a helical structure. The difference between Maurice and Rosalind is that Rosalind was more self directed, and was only open minded towards the facts. She compared making assumptions to reading the ending of an intense detective book before reading the first page. Why would you want to know the end first? All three of these characteristics are valued highly in science. Collaboration, open mindedness, and self direction. That DNA held the secret to life started with an open ended assumption. Due to the collaboration between Crick, Watson, Wilkins, and Franklin a model of DNA was created. Self - direction is key because one cannot always depend on others to direct you, you must be independent in many aspects. Each of the four scientists possessed at least one of these characteristics which are essential in science.

3 Even though women over 21 had been given the right to vote in 1928 men still looked down on women. Rosalind s coworkers along with Crick and Watson treated her work and therefore her immorally. It would not matter if she was a woman or a man, the act was still immoral. Maurice confessed in one of his writings that, Rosy, of course, did not directly give us her data. For that matter, no one at King s realized they were in our hands (Science Blogs). Not only in science is it wrong to steal someone s work without them knowing, but in all aspects of life. They have no justification to what they did, even if their act led to the greatest discovery in all time. Their actions may encourage other scientists to put science before their personal and world wide morals. Rosalind was never fully accepted and appreciated for her work because of her social standing, a woman. No matter that she was doing and producing most of the hard work, she was a woman and was not ever fully appreciated for her efforts and as a person. Perhaps if they had opened up their social circle to her, such as allowing her into the common room, she would have shared her information more willingly. But because the scientists put the social appearance above science, many interesting, useful and important discussions about DNA were expelled, just as they expelled Rosalind from the science social circle. Word Count: 997

4 Bibliography "The Discovery of the Molecular Structure of DNA - The Double Helix". Nobelprize.org. 21 Mar "Science Blogs." The Primate Diaries. N.p., n.d. Web. 21 Mar < primatediaries/2009/07/25/today-in-history-rosalind-fran/>. "20th Century London." Women N.p., n.d. Web. 21 Mar < 20thcenturylondon.org.uk/women >. Life Story Movie "DNA - Structure." DNA - Structure. N.p., n.d. Web. 21 Mar < organicprops/aminoacids/dna1.html>.

5 Notes. APPROACHES TO SCIENCE EFFECTIVENESS OF THE APPROACHES INTERACTIONS BETWEEN SCIENCE AND ONE WORLD CHARACTERISTIC S/ BEHAVIORS TAKING OUT THIN FIBERS WHICH LINE UP Failed ot make a model - thought there were eight molecules per cell instead of nucleotide Stole Rosalindʼs work Crick - big questions get big answers (how?) WITHOUT EVIDENCE - JUST AN IDEA Science the race of winning and losing - not the way people were taught to do science Treated her as an outcast Rosalind - all about the evidence (doesnʼt believe in guesses) In a nucleic acid The big question is in DNA The mistake has been repeated so many times its been considered as fact, try something different - Watson Race against Lin Pauling Wilkins - hypothesisʼ guesses Crystalline structure James - hypothesisʼ guesses One guess will do it with models -- Watson Wilkins - controlling Get data first - maurice James - goal oriented Cricks, Watson - Donʼt get evidence wrong facts look ugly and hard Truth should look pretty. Look at theories, stories, ideas (listening to gossip) they have no evidence Rosalind - no nonsense,

6 APPROACHES TO SCIENCE EFFECTIVENESS OF THE APPROACHES INTERACTIONS BETWEEN SCIENCE AND ONE WORLD CHARACTERISTIC S/ BEHAVIORS Rosalind - looking at DNA crystalline (through X - rays) Crick - Watson : in a race to find the DNA before Lin Pauling Function without substance - phosphate with four bases - Crick and James Watson Crick - figuered out G, A, T, C but not the bond Itsʼ there with no purpose - Crick James Watson Donʼt agree with each other, on what they should be working on (rosalind vs. Maruice) If you like it or hate it when you find it you say so thatʼs how it is (R.F) -- prefer to just look Satisfaction does not come from knowing what but why - rosalind Compared it to reading the ending before actually reading the book Concentration of salt, humility - length of fibers increase Inconsiderate to Maruiceʼs love of helical structures Helical structure Wilkins - Science is a communal activity - angry that she is not giving him anything but he gives her anything Crick, Watson, Franklin - Eight molecules per cell - no water = glues

7 APPROACHES TO SCIENCE EFFECTIVENESS OF THE APPROACHES INTERACTIONS BETWEEN SCIENCE AND ONE WORLD CHARACTERISTIC S/ BEHAVIORS Linus Pauling work should be published because then they donʼt have to ask for the evidence A forms give more evidence than before but all maurice sees is that b form could be helical Crick - science needs to be exciting Found the helix form ( rosalind) which crick and watson were looking for Rosalind - A form first, B form next G,C and T, A do the trick cause then they replicate each other and hold the bases together. (crick) -- RF Evidence for two dimensional structure Phosphate groups are on the outside Only been building half the structure - chains run in opposite directions

8 APPROACHES TO SCIENCE EFFECTIVENESS OF THE APPROACHES INTERACTIONS BETWEEN SCIENCE AND ONE WORLD CHARACTERISTIC S/ BEHAVIORS G + C A + T = same structure Peel back one itʼll make another - we wanted the body and we got the soul (Crick) - The secret of life

9