Storiascopio · Era 12 of 12 · lower secondary year 3
The double helix of DNA
1953 · Cambridge and London, England
In short
DNA is the molecule that holds the instructions for building and running every living thing. In 1953, in Cambridge, in England, James Watson and Francis Crick worked out that it is shaped like a spiral staircase, the double helix. A key step was an X-ray photograph taken in London in the laboratory of Rosalind Franklin, whose contribution was only fully recognised much later. The two strands can be separated and copied: that is how information passes from one cell to another.
Why it matters Understanding DNA opened the way to modern genetics, medical tests and new treatments.
Source: Encyclopaedia Britannica, “DNA”
Where we are in the era “Today”
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1953Event 1 of 252022
Your turn
Name ______________________ Class ______ Date __________
When did it happen? Find the date at the top and write it here:
Tell it in your own words: what happened?
Draw the scene below.
storiascopio.com/en/event/the-double-helix-of-dna/ · free worksheet, you may photocopy it for your class