Francis Crick
Francis Crick was a British molecular biologist and physicist who co-discovered the double helix structure of DNA. He shared the Nobel Prize in 1962 and later worked on the genetic code and the neuroscience.
Early Life and Education
Crick was born in 1916 in Northampton in England. He studied physics at University College London and graduated in 1937.
He worked on the magnetic mines for the Admiralty during the Second World War. He left the physics for the biology after the war.
He studied at the Cavendish Laboratory in Cambridge and took his doctorate in 1954. He worked on the X-ray diffraction of the proteins.
The Discovery of the Double Helix
Crick worked with James Watson at the Cavendish Laboratory. The two men sought to determine the structure of the DNA.
They used the X-ray diffraction data of Rosalind Franklin and Maurice Wilkins. They built the model of the double helix in 1953.
The structure consists of two strands wound around each other with the base pairs in the interior. The discovery explained the mechanism of the heredity.
Crick and Watson published the paper in Nature in 1953. The discovery is regarded as one of the greatest of the twentieth century.
Crick is said to have announced the discovery in the Eagle pub in Cambridge. The phrase about the secret of life was reported by his colleagues.
The Genetic Code and the Later Work
Crick worked on the genetic code after the discovery of the double helix. He proposed the sequence hypothesis and the central dogma.
The central dogma states that the information flows from the DNA to the RNA to the protein. The concept became a foundation of the molecular biology.
He worked on the structure of the proteins and the viruses. He collaborated with the scientists at the Laboratory of Molecular Biology in Cambridge.
He moved to the Salk Institute in California in 1977. He worked on the neurobiology and the nature of the consciousness.
The Later Years and the Legacy
Crick wrote the book Of Molecules and Men and The Astonishing Hypothesis. The Astonishing Hypothesis argues that the consciousness is the result of the neural activity.
He received the Nobel Prize in 1962 with Watson and Wilkins. He received the Order of Merit in 1991.
He died in 2004 in San Diego. He was one of the most influential of the biologists of the twentieth century.
He is regarded as a founder of the molecular biology. The discovery of the double helix transformed the study of the genetics and the medicine.
The Early Research
Crick worked on the X-ray diffraction of the proteins. He studied the structure of the haemoglobin.
He moved to the Cavendish Laboratory in Cambridge in 1949. He worked on the theory of the diffraction.
He met James Watson in 1951 and the two men collaborated on the DNA.
The Double Helix
Crick and Watson built the model of the double helix in 1953. The structure consists of two strands wound around each other.
The base pairs are in the interior of the helix. The structure explained the mechanism of the heredity.
The paper was published in Nature in April 1953.
The Genetic Code
Crick worked on the genetic code after the discovery of the double helix. He proposed the sequence hypothesis.
The hypothesis holds that the sequence of the bases determines the sequence of the amino acids. The concept became a foundation of the molecular biology.
He proposed the central dogma of the molecular biology.
The Neurobiology
Crick moved to the Salk Institute in California in 1977. He worked on the neurobiology and the nature of the consciousness.
He studied the visual system and the brain. He wrote the book The Astonishing Hypothesis.
He argued that the consciousness is the result of the neural activity.
The Honours and the Recognition
Crick received the Nobel Prize in 1962 with Watson and Wilkins. He received the Order of Merit in 1991.
He was elected to the Royal Society and the National Academy of Sciences. He received the honours from many institutions.
He was a gifted theorist and a brilliant conversationalist.
The Later Life
Crick wrote the book What Mad Pursuit in 1988. The book describes his life and the work.
He remained at the Salk Institute until the end of his life. He lectured on the science and the philosophy.
He died in 2004 in San Diego.
The Personal Life
Crick married Ruth Doreen Dodd in 1940 and later Odile Speed. He had the children from both marriages.
He was known for his wit and his wide-ranging curiosity. He was a generous mentor to the young scientists.
He died in 2004 and was remembered as one of the founders of the molecular biology.
See also
- DNA
- Double helix
- Genetic code
- Molecular biology
References
- ↑ Crick, Francis. What Mad Pursuit. New York: Basic Books, 1988.
- ↑ Crick, Francis. The Astonishing Hypothesis. New York: Scribner, 1994.
- ↑ Olby, Robert. Francis Crick: Hunter of Life's Secrets. Cold Spring Harbor: Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory Press, 2009.
- ↑ Judson, Horace Freeland. The Eighth Day of Creation. New York: Simon and Schuster, 1979.