Educated as a chemist and X-ray crystallographer, her contribution to the discovery of the molecular structures of DNA and RNA went unrecognized until after her death.
Franklin’s diffraction photography of the double helix of DNA permitted Francis Crick and James Watson to describe the structure, leading to them being awarded the Nobel Prize in Physiology and Medicine, along with Franklin’s colleague Maurice Wilkins, in 1962. Anne Sayre, Franklin’s friend, and biographer, argued in her book, Rosalind Franklin and DNA (1975) that Franklin’s work was held back and unrecognized due to sexism. Other colleagues have denied this.
Sources:
Katie Couric. “1953: Rosalind Franklin. 100 Women of the Year (series).” Time Magazine,
5 March 2020. Accessed 28 December 2021.
“Rosalind Franklin.” Wikipedia (website). Accessed 28 December 2021.