Why celebrate the golden jubilee of the double helix?
This year, widespread attention has been bestowed upon the discovery of the Watson-Crick model of DNA. This extensive publicity contrasts with the sparse news coverage it received in 1953, when war-torn Britain was celebrating the coronation of Queen Elizabeth and the first ascent of Mount Everest. The remarkable growth of molecular biology since 1953 is the chief reason for the attention given to the Watson-Crick model today.
Olby
Robert
R
Department of the History and Philosophy of Science, 1017 Cathedral of Learning, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA 15260, USA. olbyr@pitt.edu
D000846:Anniversaries and Special Events; D004247:DNA / Q000737:chemistry / Q000266:history*; D049673:History, 20th Century; D008958:Models, Molecular; D009690:Nucleic Acid Conformation; D006113:United Kingdom
D004247:DNA