Rosalind Franklin: In celebration of International Day of Women & Girls in Science

Franklin’s early life and education

Born on 25 July 1920, to a wealthy Anglo-Jewish family in London, UK, Franklin exhibited a passion for science from a very young age []. She attended St Paul’s Girls School [] and in 1938, she attended Newnham College of Cambridge University, one of only two women’s colleges at Cambridge, to study physical chemistry [ ]. Franklin earned her Bachelor’s degree in 1941 []. She remained at Cambridge after receiving a fellowship for research in physical chemistry [].

Studying coal during the war years

In addition to the challenges of being a female scientist in a primarily male-dominated field, the Second World War defined her research and course of action. As well as serving as an air raid warden in London, she gave up her fellowship in 1942 to work for the British Coal Utilisation Research Association. During this time, she contributed to the war effort by investigating the physical chemistry of carbon and coal []. She discovered that the porous nature of coal allowed it to act as a molecular sieve []. This research proved valuable in manufacturing wartime gas masks, assessing fuel performance [], as well as the development of carbon-based molecular sieves, which are used today to remove oxygen from air []. Despite the interruption of war, Franklin earned her doctorate in 1945 from Cambridge University with a thesis titled, “The Physical Chemistry of Solid Organic Colloids with Special Reference to Coal and Related Materials” [].

Franklin starts her research career in Paris

After receiving her doctorate, Franklin accepted a research position at the French State laboratory in Paris, where she studied X-ray crystallography (also known as X-ray diffraction) techniques []. From 1947-1950, she used this method, which looks at the molecular and atomic structure of materials [], to investigate the structure of coal and its transformation into graphite [, ].

Photograph 51 at King’s College London

When Franklin joined King’s College London as a research fellow in 1951, she started working on X-ray diffraction methods to study DNA; at that time, very little was known about the DNA structure [].
Franklin discovered that DNA exists in two forms, A and B, dependent on the humidity, with the B form being the most common in living cells [, ]. She applied her knowledge of X-ray diffraction to DNA, and in May 1952, her team captured an X-ray image that was to become famous []. This image—named Photograph 51—was a major breakthrough, as it made the helical structure of DNA evident for the first time [].

The structure of DNA

Photograph 51 was published in 1953 alongside a paper by James Watson and Francis Crick that suggested the double helix structure of DNA. Franklin was aware of the importance of her work and had drafted a paper suggesting the probable nature of a helical structure; however, Watson and Crick were quicker to make the proposal [].
It is unclear exactly how much Franklin knew or was involved in the sharing of her data. Unknown to Franklin, Watson had been shown photograph 51 by Maurice Wilkins, a coworker of Franklin’s at King’s College London and her data was fundamental to their proposal of a double helix structure as it is accepted today []. Although this contribution to the DNA model was not acknowledged by Watson and Crick, they admitted that unpublished data by Franklin and Wilkins contributed to their discovery. Furthermore, she was working in what was a very male-dominated and sexist environment and was preparing to leave King’s College at the time, possibly leading to her exclusion from discussions [].

Watson, Crick and Wilkins were awarded the Nobel Prize in Medicine in 1962 for their discovery []. Franklin’s contribution to the structure of DNA model was recognised much later [].

RNA research at Birkbeck College, London

In 1953, Franklin moved to Birkbeck College, where she focused on the molecular structure of the tobacco mosaic virus, proving that unlike DNA, ribonucleic acid (RNA) is a single-strand helix []. Franklin continued to work on other viruses, including the poliovirus, and although she was unable to finish her work before her untimely death, Aaron Klug earned a Nobel Prize in Chemistry in 1982 for research they had begun together [, ].

Illness, death and legacy

In 1956, Rosalind Franklin was diagnosed with ovarian cancer. She continued to work until her death on 16 April 1958 [].

Throughout her career, Franklin published a total of 45 articles on coals and carbons, DNA, and viruses, making a substantial contribution to scientific knowledge []. Franklin’s contribution to one of the most significant discoveries of the 20th century—the double helix structure of DNA—was barely recognised during her lifetime, and this controversy often threatens to overshadow her work, but her research and this discovery changed our understanding of biology and paved the way for many breakthroughs in our knowledge of genetics in health and disease.

Conclusion

Although her life and groundbreaking research was halted by her untimely death, Rosalind Franklin made extraordinary contributions to science and played an invaluable part in shaping the scientific world. Today, the importance of her work is fully acknowledged, and an asteroid [], a Mars Rover [], a university [], and a research institute [] have been named after her as a mark of respect for her contributions and legacy. Franklin continues to inspire, and in the hope of inspiring future generations of scientists, we share her story to remember her as we think she would have preferred: as a scientist.