Rosalind Franklin studied physical chemistry at Cambridge and during her early scientific career became expert in X-ray diffraction techniques. In 1951, she joined the team at King's College London who were working on the structure of DNA. Despite facing hostility and sexual discrimination, Rosalind devoted herself to the task of collecting and analysing data. At the same time, in Cambridge, the scientists Crick and Watson were also trying to solve this pressing scientific problem.
Controversy still rages, but it seems almost certain that it was one of Rosalind Franklin's X-ray diffraction photographs that gave the Cambridge team the key to the mystery. In 1953, Crick and Watson claimed the discovery of the structure of DNA, winning the Nobel Prize in 1962. No acknowledgement was given to Rosalind Franklin.
