Scientists Contributions to Genetics Flashcards
What did Erwin Chargaff do?
Discovered regularities between 4 chemical units of DNA (bases)
- Discovered the base composition of DNA
- Discovered A&T and C&G are always found in the same amounts
- Discovered adenine always paired with thymine and cytosine always pairs with guanine
How did Erwin Chargaff contribute to science?
- Laid the groundwork for Watsons and Cricks discovery of the double helix structure
- Discovered base pairings of DNA
How did Erwin Chargaff’s discoveries fall short?
- Unable to interpret the meaning of his findings done by Watson and Cricks
What did Rosalind Franklin and
Maurice Wilkins do?
Applied X Ray diffraction methods to study DNA
- Beamed X Rays through molecules showing DNA structure
- Worked in labs to better understand DNA and RNA
How did Rosalind Franklin and
Maurice Wilkins contribute to science?
- Discovered density of DNA
- Discovered DNA had a helix structure
- Contributed to discovering the molecular structure of DNA
- Proved RNA was single stranded
Where did Rosalind Franklin and
Maurice Wilkins’ discoveries fall short?
- Was not able to completely explain the full structure of DNA
What did James Watson and Francis Crick do?
- Chemist Linus Pauling suggested an incorrect model at the beginning of 1953, prompting Watson and Crick to try and beat Pauling at his own game.
- Rosalind Franklin obtained images of DNA using X-ray crystallography, an idea first broached by Maurice Wilkins. Franklin’s images allowed James Watson and Francis Crick to create their famous two-strand, or double-helix, model.
How did James Watson and Francis Crick contribute to science?
- Double helix, the twisted-ladder structure of deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA), (figured out the shape of DNA)
Where did James Watson and Francis Crick’s discoveries fall short?
None - correctly understood structure of DNA
