Rosalind Franklin

DNA discoverer

Machismo has caused numerous problems in the world of science. One of the most relevant women in the world of biophysics and crystallography was Rosalind Franklin. She is the true discoverer of DNA. The problem is that at the beginning of the XNUMXth century, women who were dedicated to the study of science were ignored and despised by institutions.

Therefore, we are going to dedicate this article to tell you everything you need to know about Rosalind Franklin and the importance she had in the world of science.

Rosalind Franklin biography

house of the scientist

At the beginning of the XNUMXth century, any scientist who was a woman and would do research was completely ignored. It got to a point where they were looked down upon. The institutions and the whole society as a whole had condemned Rosalind Franklin even unfair anonymity. Among the most outstanding achievements of this woman scientist we note the discovery of the first photograph of the B-side of hydrated DNA. Three scientists were awarded the Nobel Prize in Physiology and Medicine after the discovery of the structure of DNA. What most people don't know is that Ten years earlier Rosalind Franklin had already discovered the other photo.

This photo is known as photo 51 and is a key piece to know everything about DNA. This woman was born in the district of Kensington, located in London, in the year 1920. Her father took care to give all his children the best possible education and this made Rosalind able to charge her primary and secondary studies in private schools. Since the little girl she proved to be a fairly intelligent girl and had an exceptional passion for the interest of science.

Among Rosalind Franklin's studies we find her presence in numerous Einstein lectures and she had the purpose to dedicate his life to the service of science. He began studying at the university and became interested in chemistry, physics, and mathematics. At first, Rosalind's father, seeing that she wanted to study science, openly objected. And it is that at the time in which women could not dedicate themselves to research. The same father had studied science and learned German so that he could try to become a good scientist. Despite this, he could not believe that his daughter had to dedicate herself to research.

Conflicts with the family

Rosalind Franklin and her studies

This conflict caused by social conventions caused her to have greater difficulties in being able to study what she wanted. Her father and she considered that education was a very important primary value for the personal growth of people and the advancement of society. Despite the conflicts with the family, Rosalind Franklin was quite intelligent and determined. All this added to the fact that his parents were progressive in nature he was able to study what he wanted.

She was finally able to enroll in the Cambridge women's college in 1938. She took the entrance exam in physics and chemistry and was able to study these disciplines. Rosalind Franklin's first contact with crystallography was in the wake of the Bragg discoveries. It was shown that when an X-ray beam passes through a glass, it leaves a kind of identity strike. If you study these traces you can see what the structure of the crystal molecule is like and how its atoms are positioned. One of the advances he was able to make in the world of crystallography was to use X-rays to discover the structures of crystals. From there, he decided to familiarize himself with the three-dimensional study of matter that was extremely small in size.

Rosalind Franklin Higher Education

Rosalind Franklin

Although her graduation was in 1941, she was unable to obtain a degree since she was a woman. He was quite intelligent and by way of compensation, and for his excellent grades he received second-class honors. These colors recognized her suitable to be able to carry out a job. He was able to get a small scholarship for one year to be able to continue studying in the industrial scientific research department and to obtain a doctorate. This scholarship was awarded to a refugee student from World War II. This is due to his father asked him to give this money to someone who deserved it.

The generosity was due to the fact that in 1939 the Franklin family had come very close to being trapped in Norway since World War II had started on their way home.

Once placed in the industrial scientific research department, she was very lucky. And it is that he was able to work with the physicochemist Ronald Norrish who was a pioneer in photochemistry and received a Nobel Prize. Aside from the fact that Rosalind Franklin enjoyed her work, she was quite happy. Could live independently in a rental apartment and there he could receive his friends and enjoy his free time. All this helped him to be more consistent in his work and to enjoy life.

He was able to accept a job on charcoal, which became a fuel with great importance since it was used as a filter in gas chambers. I can investigate different types of charcoal and contributed to the manufacture of a more effective gas mask

Scientific success

In all those years, very few people were awarded the doctorate. Rosalind Franklin was one of those who was able to have a PhD despite being a woman. Her work on the structures of carbon and graphite helped earn her a doctorate in physics and chemistry. He also gave the job scene that was presented to him and decided to leave England. He was able to travel to France and find a great job. Thanks to Adrienne Weill, a disciple of Marie Curie, He was able to speak French and learn about different jobs.

As you can see, women have also been able to contribute to the vast amount of information in science and help advance it. I hope that with this information you can learn more about Rosalind Franklin and her biography.


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