Rosalind Franklin

Rosalind Franklin was a British scientist who helped unlock the secret of DNA. She was born in London in 1920. She used X-rays to take pictures of tiny molecules. Her work was key to understanding the building blocks of life.

Early Life

Franklin came from a well-off family in London. She was very smart and loved science from a young age. She studied chemistry at Cambridge University. She learned to use X-rays to study tiny structures.

A funny joke card Rosalind Franklin wrote about her DNA work.
A funny joke card Rosalind Franklin wrote about her DNA work. (Wikimedia Commons)

Big Discoveries

Franklin took a famous X-ray photo of DNA called Photo 51. This image showed that DNA has a spiral shape. Other scientists used her photo to build a model of DNA. She did not receive full credit for her work during her lifetime.

Fun Facts

  • Photo 51, her famous X-ray image, took over 60 hours to create.
  • Franklin also did important research on viruses and coal.
  • She spoke fluent French and worked in a lab in Paris for several years.

Did You Know?

Franklin did not share the Nobel Prize that was given for the discovery of DNA's shape. The Nobel Prize is not given after someone has passed away, and Franklin died in 1958 at just 37 years old.