- In full:
- Francis Harry Compton Crick
- Born:
- June 8, 1916, Northampton, Northamptonshire, England
- Died:
- July 28, 2004, San Diego, California, U.S. (aged 88)
- Awards And Honors:
- Copley Medal (1975)
- Nobel Prize (1962)
- Notable Works:
- “Of Molecules and Men”
- Subjects Of Study:
- DNA
- base
- codon
- double helix
- genetic code
Francis Crick
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Who was Francis Crick?
Francis Crick (1916–2004) was a British biophysicist who, along with James Watson and Maurice Wilkins, won the 1962 Nobel Prize for Physiology or Medicine for determining the molecular structure of deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA). Their model, known as the Watson-Crick model, consisted of two intertwined helical strands bridged horizontally by organic bases.
During World War II, Crick paused his education to develop magnetic mines for naval warfare. In 1947, he turned to biology at the Strangeways Research Laboratory, University of Cambridge, and in 1949, he transferred to the university’s Medical Research Council Unit at the Cavendish Laboratories. From 1977 until his death, Crick held the position of distinguished professor at the Salk Institute for Biological Studies in San Diego, California, where he conducted research on the neurological basis of consciousness.
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What is Francis Crick famous for discovering?
Francis Crick, along with James Watson and Maurice Wilkins, won the 1962 Nobel Prize for Physiology or Medicine for determining the molecular structure of deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA). Their discovery, based on X-ray diffraction studies of DNA done by Wilkins and X-ray diffraction pictures produced by Rosalind Franklin, revealed DNA's double helix structure, consisting of two intertwined strands bridged by organic bases.
Crick later discovered that each group of three bases (a codon) on a DNA strand designates the position of a specific amino acid on a protein molecule. He helped determine which codons code for each of the 20 amino acids found in protein, clarifying how cells use DNA to build proteins.
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What role did Francis Crick play in learning about the structure of DNA?
Francis Crick, a British biophysicist, played a crucial role in determining the molecular structure of DNA. In 1951, he partnered with James Watson, and together, using X-ray diffraction studies of DNA by Maurice Wilkins and Rosalind Franklin, they constructed a double-helix model consistent with DNA's known properties.
Crick's further work in 1961 provided evidence that each group of three bases (a codon) on a DNA strand designates a specific amino acid position on a protein molecule. With James Watson and Maurice Wilkins, Crick received the Nobel Prize in 1962 for this discovery, which is a cornerstone of genetics.
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What is the double helix, and how did Francis Crick help describe it?
The double helix refers to the structure of a molecule of DNA, consisting of two strands that form a spiral.
Francis Crick, along with James Watson and Maurice Wilkins, is credited with determining the molecular structure of DNA. Their work was based on X-ray diffraction studies of DNA done by Wilkins and X-ray diffraction pictures produced by Rosalind Franklin. In 1953, Crick and Watson proposed that DNA has a double helix structure, where two strands of polynucleotides coil around each other. For their discovery, Crick, Watson, and Wilkins received the Nobel Prize in 1962.
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With whom did Francis Crick work to discover DNA's structure?
Francis Crick collaborated with James Watson and Maurice Wilkins to determine the molecular structure of DNA. Their work led to the discovery of DNA's double helix structure, which earned them the Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine in 1962. Rosalind Franklin also contributed to the discovery through her X-ray diffraction studies of DNA.
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How did Francis Crick's discovery affect science and medicine?
Francis Crick's co-discovery of the structure of DNA with James Watson and Maurice Wilkins revolutionized science and medicine, earning them the 1962 Nobel Prize.
Their work revealed how DNA could replicate itself, which was crucial to understanding genetics. The discovery also showed that a sequence of bases along the DNA molecule spells out a code that cells use to build proteins. By 1961, Crick had evidence that each group of three bases (a codon) on a strand of DNA designates the position of a specific amino acid on a protein molecule. This work clarified how cells use the DNA "message" to build proteins.
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Francis Crick (born June 8, 1916, Northampton, Northamptonshire, England—died July 28, 2004, San Diego, California, U.S.) was a British biophysicist, who, with James Watson and Maurice Wilkins, received the 1962 Nobel Prize for Physiology or Medicine for their determination of the molecular structure of deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA), the chemical substance ultimately responsible for hereditary control of life functions. This accomplishment became a cornerstone of genetics and was widely regarded as one of the most important discoveries of 20th-century biology.
During World War II, Crick interrupted his education to work as a physicist in the development of magnetic mines for use in naval warfare, but afterward he turned to biology at the Strangeways Research Laboratory, University of Cambridge (1947). Interested in pioneering efforts to determine the three-dimensional structures of large molecules found in living organisms, he transferred to the university’s Medical Research Council Unit at the Cavendish Laboratories in 1949.
In 1951, when the American biologist James Watson arrived at the laboratory, it was known that the mysterious nucleic acids, especially DNA, played a central role in the hereditary determination of the structure and function of each cell. Watson convinced Crick that knowledge of DNA’s three-dimensional structure would make its hereditary role apparent. Using the X-ray diffraction studies of DNA done by Wilkins and X-ray diffraction pictures produced by Rosalind Franklin, Watson and Crick were able to construct a molecular model consistent with the known physical and chemical properties of DNA. The model consisted of two intertwined helical (spiral) strands of sugar-phosphate, bridged horizontally by flat organic bases. Watson and Crick theorized that if the strands were separated, each would serve as a template (pattern) for the formation, from small molecules in the cell, of a new sister strand identical to its former partner. This copying process explained replication of the gene and, eventually, the chromosome, known to occur in dividing cells. Their model also indicated that the sequence of bases along the DNA molecule spells some kind of code “read” by a cellular mechanism that translates it into the specific proteins responsible for a cell’s particular structure and function.
By 1961 Crick had evidence to show that each group of three bases (a codon) on a single DNA strand designates the position of a specific amino acid on the backbone of a protein molecule. He also helped to determine which codons code for each of the 20 amino acids normally found in protein and thus helped clarify the way in which the cell eventually uses the DNA “message” to build proteins. From 1977 until his death, Crick held the position of distinguished professor at the Salk Institute for Biological Studies in San Diego, California, where he conducted research on the neurological basis of consciousness. His book Of Molecules and Men (1966) discusses the implications of the revolution in molecular biology. What Mad Pursuit: A Personal View of Scientific Discovery was published in 1988. In 1991 Crick received the Order of Merit.