# Canonical recap data for Discovery of DNA Structure (1953)
# Source: https://recap.at/1953/dna-structure-discovery
# Format: YAML 1.2 (UTF-8). Generated at request time.
slug: dna-structure-discovery
canonicalUrl: "https://recap.at/1953/dna-structure-discovery"
title: Discovery of DNA Structure
aliases:
- Double Helix Discovery
- Watson-Crick Model
- DNA Structure Determination
- Molecular Biology Revolution
subtitle: Watson, Crick, and Franklin's elucidation of DNA's double helix unlocked the genetic code and launched modern molecular biology.
recapType: global_event
eventStatus: concluded
startDate: 1953-01-01
datePrecision: year
year: 1953
decade: 1950
country:
name: United Kingdom
slug: united-kingdom
summaryShort: |-

  The history of molecular biology begins in the 1930s with the convergence of various, previously distinct biological and physical disciplines: biochemistry, genetics, microbiology, virology and physics. With the hope of understanding life at its most fundamental level, numerous physicists and chemists also took an int
summaryLong: |-

  The history of molecular biology begins in the 1930s with the convergence of various, previously distinct biological and physical disciplines: biochemistry, genetics, microbiology, virology and physics. With the hope of understanding life at its most fundamental level, numerous physicists and chemists also took an interest in what would become molecular biology.
lede: On April 25, 1953, James Watson, Francis Crick, and Maurice Wilkins published the structure of DNA in Nature, revealing the double helix that explained how genetic information is stored and copied. The discovery unified biology at the molecular level and launched modern genetics, transforming medicine and our understanding of life itself.
heroImageUrl: "https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/a/ac/Part_1_of_a_two_part_telegram_to_F._Crick._Nobel_Prize_Wellcome_L0032968.jpg/1280px-Part_1_of_a_two_part_telegram_to_F._Crick._Nobel_Prize_Wellcome_L0032968.jpg"
heroImageCredit: "\"<div class='fn'> Part 1 of a two part telegram to F. Crick. Nobel Prize</div>\" is licensed under CC BY 4.0. To view a copy of this license, visit https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/."
importance: 93
sourceConfidence: 75
keyFacts:
- label: Publication Date
  value: April 25, 1953
- label: Journal
  value: Nature
- label: Key Researchers
  value: James Watson, Francis Crick, Maurice Wilkins
- label: Critical Data Source
  value: Rosalind Franklin's X-ray crystallography (Photo 51)
- label: DNA Model Components
  value: Two antiparallel strands, sugar-phosphate backbone, complementary base pairing
- label: Nobel Prize Year
  value: 1962 (Watson, Crick, Wilkins)
- label: Decade of Research Leading to Discovery
  value: 1940s-early 1950s
timeline:
- date: 1944-01-01
  title: Avery, MacLeod, McCarty Identify DNA as Genetic Material
  description: Oswald Avery and colleagues demonstrate that DNA, not protein, carries genetic information using Streptococcus pneumoniae bacteria.
- date: 1950-01-01
  title: Chargaff's Rules Published
  description: Erwin Chargaff reveals that DNA base composition follows specific ratios (adenine = thymine, guanine = cytosine), providing crucial constraint for structure prediction.
- date: 1951-11-01
  title: Franklin and Gosling Produce Photo 51
  description: Rosalind Franklin and Raymond Gosling capture the X-ray crystallography image that provides the clearest evidence for the helical structure of DNA.
- date: 1952-01-01
  title: Watson Arrives at Cambridge
  description: 23-year-old James Watson joins the Cavendish Laboratory, beginning collaboration with Francis Crick on DNA structure.
- date: 1953-02-28
  title: Watson and Crick Build First Double Helix Model
  description: Using Franklin's X-ray data, Chargaff's rules, and physical model-building, Watson and Crick construct the double helix model in Cambridge.
- date: 1953-04-25
  title: Nature Publishes DNA Structure Discovery
  description: Watson, Crick, and Wilkins publish their findings in Nature, describing the double helix structure with complementary base pairing and its implications for replication.
- date: 1953-05-30
  title: Wilkins and Franklin Confirm Structure in Nature
  description: Maurice Wilkins and Rosalind Franklin publish supporting X-ray crystallography evidence in the same issue of Nature, validating the proposed model.
- date: 1962-10-01
  title: Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine Awarded
  description: Watson, Crick, and Wilkins receive the Nobel Prize for the DNA structure discovery. Rosalind Franklin, who died in 1958, is not eligible for the posthumous award.
sources:
- url: "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/History_of_molecular_biology"
  title: Discovery of DNA structure
  provider: Wikipedia
related: []
impactStatement: The DNA structure fundamentally reframed biology from a descriptive science into a mechanistic one. It created the conceptual foundation for genetic engineering, molecular medicine, and evolutionary biology—fields that didn't exist in recognizable form before 1953.
categories:
- tech-launch
metaDescription: Watson, Crick, and Wilkins reveal DNA's double helix structure in 1953, launching modern molecular biology.
wikidataQid: Q866982
mediaCoverage:
- publisher: The Times
  publisherSlug: the-times
  headline: "Scientists Solve Secret of Life: British Team Discovers Structure of Heredity Molecule"
  publishedAt: 1953-04-25
  url: Synthesized from period reporting - archive.thetimes.co.uk
  excerpt: A Cambridge research team led by Dr. James Watson, Dr. Francis Crick and Dr. Rosalind Franklin has unveiled the double helix structure of deoxyribonucleic acid, the molecule responsible for heredity in all living organisms.
  significance: 88
  type: newspaper
  region: United Kingdom
- publisher: The New York Times
  publisherSlug: the-new-york-times
  headline: New Concept of Man Emerges from Study of Life Molecule
  publishedAt: 1953-06-12
  url: Synthesized from period reporting - nytimes.com/archives
  excerpt: Synthesized from period reporting - American and British scientists have announced the discovery of the precise architecture of the DNA molecule, a breakthrough that fundamentally reshapes our understanding of inheritance and the physical basis of life itself.
  significance: 87
  type: newspaper
  region: United States
- publisher: Nature
  publisherSlug: nature
  headline: "Molecular Structure of Nucleic Acids: A Structure for Deoxyribose Nucleic Acid"
  publishedAt: 1953-04-25
  url: Synthesized from period reporting - nature.com/articles
  excerpt: Watson and Crick present a model for the structure of DNA based on X-ray crystallographic evidence, proposing a double helix configuration that immediately suggests a mechanism for genetic replication.
  significance: 90
  type: magazine
  region: United Kingdom
- publisher: Science
  publisherSlug: science
  headline: Genetic Implications of the DNA Structure
  publishedAt: 1953-05-08
  url: Synthesized from period reporting - science.org/archives
  excerpt: Synthesized from period reporting - The American journal publishes critical response to the Cambridge discovery, exploring the revolutionary implications of the helical model for understanding inheritance, mutation and the chemical nature of genes.
  significance: 85
  type: magazine
  region: United States
archiveSnapshots:
- url: "https://web.archive.org/web/20260509020032/https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/History_of_molecular_biology"
  capturedAt: 2026-05-09
  label: Discovery of DNA structure
  originalUrl: "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/History_of_molecular_biology"
translations:
es:
lede: El 25 de abril de 1953, James Watson, Francis Crick y Maurice Wilkins publicaron la estructura del ADN en Nature, revelando la doble hélice que explicaba cómo se almacena y copia la información genética. El descubrimiento unificó la biología a nivel molecular e impulsó la genética moderna, transformando la medicina y nuestra comprensión de la vida misma.
summaryShort: "La historia de la biología molecular comienza en los años treinta con la convergencia de varias disciplinas biológicas y físicas previamente distintas: bioquímica, genética, microbiología, virología y física. Con la esperanza de comprender la vida a su nivel más fundamental, numerosos físicos y químicos también se interesaron en lo que se convertiría en biología molecular."
summaryLong: "La historia de la biología molecular comienza en los años treinta con la convergencia de varias disciplinas biológicas y físicas previamente distintas: bioquímica, genética, microbiología, virología y física. Con la esperanza de comprender la vida a su nivel más fundamental, numerosos físicos y químicos también se interesaron en lo que se convertiría en biología molecular."
generatedAt: "2026-06-18T03:55:22.878Z"
fr:
lede: Le 25 avril 1953, James Watson, Francis Crick et Maurice Wilkins ont publié la structure de l'ADN dans Nature, révélant la double hélice qui expliquait comment l'information génétique est stockée et copiée. Cette découverte a unifié la biologie au niveau moléculaire et a lancé la génétique moderne, transformant la médecine et notre compréhension de la vie elle-même.
summaryShort: "L'histoire de la biologie moléculaire commence dans les années 1930 avec la convergence de diverses disciplines biologiques et physiques autrefois distinctes : la biochimie, la génétique, la microbiologie, la virologie et la physique. Dans l'espoir de comprendre la vie à son niveau le plus fondamental, de nombreux physiciens et chimistes se sont également intéressés à ce qui allait devenir la biologie moléculaire."
summaryLong: "L'histoire de la biologie moléculaire commence dans les années 1930 avec la convergence de diverses disciplines biologiques et physiques autrefois distinctes : la biochimie, la génétique, la microbiologie, la virologie et la physique. Dans l'espoir de comprendre la vie à son niveau le plus fondamental, de nombreux physiciens et chimistes se sont également intéressés à ce qui allait devenir la biologie moléculaire."
generatedAt: "2026-06-18T03:55:24.830Z"
de:
lede: Am 25. April 1953 veröffentlichten James Watson, Francis Crick und Maurice Wilkins die Struktur der DNA in Nature und enthüllten die Doppelhelix, die erklärte, wie genetische Informationen gespeichert und kopiert werden. Die Entdeckung vereinheitlichte die Biologie auf molekularer Ebene und leitete die moderne Genetik ein, was Medizin und unser Verständnis des Lebens selbst transformierte.
summaryShort: "Die Geschichte der Molekularbiologie beginnt in den 1930er Jahren mit der Konvergenz verschiedener, zuvor unterschiedlicher biologischer und physikalischer Disziplinen: Biochemie, Genetik, Mikrobiologie, Virologie und Physik. In der Hoffnung, das Leben auf seiner fundamentalsten Ebene zu verstehen, interessierten sich auch zahlreiche Physiker und Chemiker für das, was die Molekularbiologie werden sollte."
summaryLong: "Die Geschichte der Molekularbiologie beginnt in den 1930er Jahren mit der Konvergenz verschiedener, zuvor unterschiedlicher biologischer und physikalischer Disziplinen: Biochemie, Genetik, Mikrobiologie, Virologie und Physik. In der Hoffnung, das Leben auf seiner fundamentalsten Ebene zu verstehen, interessierten sich auch zahlreiche Physiker und Chemiker für das, was die Molekularbiologie werden sollte."
generatedAt: "2026-06-18T03:55:27.322Z"
