Thursday | 16 January 2025 | Reg No- 06
বাংলা
   
Thursday | 16 January 2025 | Epaper

Centenary of Dark Lady of DNA

Published : Monday, 28 December, 2020 at 12:00 AM  Count : 520
Chinmay Prasun Biswas
Discovery of DNA (Deoxyribonucleic acid) is certainly one of the best discoveries in the history of Biology. Rosalind Elsie Franklin was connected with the stair like oval structure of DNA but being a victim of gender inequality she was deprived of her actual glory. Even the story of her credit was shrouded with darkness for long time. Many people think that Rosalind Elsie Franklin was the most disputed female scientist in the history of Biology. She is also known as Dark Lady of DNA. 2020 is the birth centenary of this talented scientist.

Born on 25th July, 1920 at Notting Hill, England in a solvent Jewish family this highly meritorious girl dreamt of being scientist but her father wanted her to be a social worker. In the conservative British society higher education of females was not easy at all. Yet the resolute girl studied Physics and Chemistry from Neuenham College of Cambridge University and joined British Coal Research Association as a research fellow. Her five research papers were published and she attained Ph D in 1945. Crystallography was then gradually becoming important in analysing structure of matter. Through this process disposition of molecule inside crystalised matter could be easily understood. Joining a French laboratory she acquired special expertise in this field. Rosalind became familiar in taking photography of organic molecule and finding out the actual reason of conversion of carbon into graphite under high temperature. She returned to London in 1951with a 3-year fellowship in King's College.
 
Then Sir John Ruandal was departmental head of Biophysics. She was appointed particularly to research on DNA using X-ray. Morris Wilkins was also working there. He assumed that Rosalind would work under him but sufficiently prepared Rosalind had independent thinking. She did not want to work under Wilkins. For this reason Rosalind was never in good terms with Wilkins but her own work proceeded properly. Crystalising DNA and taking photography of it using X-ray were arduous. Rosalind used specially made cute thread like cuff thymus DNA sample. She made a molecular friendly X-ray camera that provided clear photography. In different discussions Rosalind presented the result.

At the same time James Watson and Francis Frick were working on DNA in Cambridge University. Structure of DNA is made of 4 types of nucleotide bases. If DNA is a garland then these four are its beads. Using complex mathematical procedure from chemical sign and through angular analysis Watson and Frick were trying to give an idea of arrangement of DNA. Along with mathematical analysis they required clear X-ray photography which was not available then in their laboratory.

The main instrument to understand the mystery of life was photograph-51, crystal size picture of DNA snapped by Rosalind. From X-ray picture and other analysis Rosalind could realise that DNA molecule is actually a joint structure of two necklaces with sugar phosphate outside it. Due to difference in presence of water, molecule DNA takes two separate shapes-- A and B. However, without being certain she did not want to publish the result of her experiment with photograph.

 Towards the end of 1953 Watson came to King's College. Wilkins showed him an X-ray photograph taken by Rosalind which became famous as photograph-51later on. Seeing the photograph Watson became instantly inspired. The screw like shape of DNA became clear to his eyes. As he worked with similar double stranded molecule for his Ph D, he easily understood the picture. On his way back extremely excited Watson drew a sketch of it in his note book. He decided to show Francis that structure because most of the important things in Biology are found to exist in couples.

Basing on the photograph of Rosalind, Frick got the essential information for his counting and started working afresh. Not only the photograph Frick also got the details of crystallography. Through a discussion meeting of Medical Research Council, photograph and information of Rosalind's works reached the hands of Max Peruz, supervisor of the council. He secretly sent it to Crick through Lawrence Brag. Rosalind's notebook informs that by 24th February she would be able to explain everything. On the other hand, in that last week of February Francis Frick was finalising DNA model. Explaining everything Rosalind wrote a paper on19th March that DNA is a two-thread screw like molecule and complementary to each other. If one moves towards right the other to left.
 
Nuclodytdes may have innumerable arrangements and difference of that arrangement is the root of life. Ahead of sending that paper to journal, Watson and Crick called Rosalind and Wilkins to show their DNA model. It was decided that Watson and Crick would publish DNA model.  As its experimental proof, Rosalind and Wilkins would publish their paper.  DNA model of Watson--Crick was first published in Nature magazine on 18th April, 1953. Two other papers of Franklin Gasling and Wilkins and his colleagues were separately published in Nature on 25th April. Rosalind added note to her paper that it was congruent with the theoretical concept published in this journal earlier. Everything went properly but only Rosalind could not know to the slightest extent that Watson-Crick collected (please read - stole) information from Rosalind's works at least twice earlier.

After this incident |Rosalind started working at Barrbec College, London on tobacco mosaic virus. Using crystallography she showed that structure of TMV is just like a hollow pipe. She worked on polio virus and gained success but just then life mocked at her severely. Cancer of uterus snatched away her life only at 38 in 1958. It can be assumed that if Rosalind were alive she might have been awarded Nobel Prize along with Watson-Crick-Wilkins.

However, Watson-Crick did not mention Rosalind in their Nobel Prize speech. Even, knowing everything well renowned scientist Lenus Powling accorded total credit of discovering DNA to Wilkins. Rosalind was then above everything. Why Watson or Frick did not inform Rosalind of that photograph - 51? Why did Peruz supply the information to Crick secretly? It may be neutrally assumed that other than professional jealousy, advancement of a woman may be a reason. However, prize may not be the ultimate expectation. In her short span of life Rosalind worked successfully on coal and DNA. Even after centenary of birth she will be honourably remembered always.  
The writer is a former
Commissioner of Taxes    






LATEST NEWS
MOST READ
Also read
Kudos Shakib Al Hasan
2020: When people spoke truth to power
A revolutionary and a hero
Does Bangladesh need health court?
Bangladesh and China: An alliance for prosperity
Small powers of South Asia in strategic competition
Shariatpur, A name of negligence
Time in the time of coronavirus: Where did 2020 go?
Editor : Iqbal Sobhan Chowdhury
Published by the Editor on behalf of the Observer Ltd. from Globe Printers, 24/A, New Eskaton Road, Ramna, Dhaka.
Editorial, News and Commercial Offices : Aziz Bhaban (2nd floor), 93, Motijheel C/A, Dhaka-1000.
Phone: PABX- 41053001-06; Online: 41053014; Advertisement: 41053012.
E-mail: district@dailyobserverbd.com, news©dailyobserverbd.com, advertisement©dailyobserverbd.com, For Online Edition: mailobserverbd©gmail.com
🔝
close