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Rosalind Franklin

A forgotten figure in science and a typical example of the Matilda Effect.

Portrait de Rosalind Franklin

Source : Rosalind Franklin en 1955 UNIVERSAL HISTORY ARCHIVE/UIG/BRIDGEMAN IMAGES

Biography

Rosalind Elsie Franklin (1920 – 1958) was a biophysicist and crystallographer. A specialist in X-ray diffraction, she produced images that were crucial for understanding the structure of DNA. Despite the critical importance of her work, she remained for a long time in the shadow of her male colleagues.

  • 1920 : Born in London
  • 1945 : PhD in Physics and Chemistry
  • 1951 : Photography 51
  • 1958 : Premature death at 37

Scientific contributions

L'ADN et la double hélices

By analyzing X-ray diffraction on DNA fibers, Franklin obtained the famous Photograph 51. This image helped confirm the double helix structure of DNA, a discovery publicly credited to Watson and Crick.

Photographie 51 - Cliché de diffraction des rayons X de l'ADN

Source : cliché 51 en microscopie à rayons X. Raymond Gosling/King's College London

Legacy and recognition

Rosalind Franklin did not receive the Nobel Prize, which was awarded in 1962 to Watson, Crick, and Wilkins. Today, she is recognized as a major scientist whose work paved the way for modern molecular biology and as an example of the Matilda Effect.

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