James Watson
James Watson was born on April 6, 1928 in Chicago. He worked at the Universiy of Copenhagen and the Cavendish Laboratory before formulating the theory of a double helical structure for DNA with Fancis Crick. Watson went to college at University of Chicago when he was only 15, finishing his PHD by 22. He investigated the structure of DNA and saw the X ray diffraction pattern of crystalline DNA. After moving his research to the Cavendish Lab, he met Francis Crick and the two began to discover the structure of DNA. Watson and Crick discovered the structure of DNA in 1953 during their second attempt. Not only had they discovered the double-helical structure of the DNA molecule but they had also discovered how DNA could replicate itself. In 1989, Watson became the first director of the NHGRI and oversaw the mapping of genes in the human chromosome during the Human Genome Project. He was also the second person to have his genome sequenced in 2007.
James Watson and Francis Crick
Francis Crick
Francis Crick was born in 1916 in Northampton, England. Crick attended University College London, and studied Physics there , graduating with a B.S. degree in 1937. In 1939, World War 2 broke out and he worked to develop magnetic and acoustic mines. He continued his studies in Biology eight years later. In 1953 he met and discovered the structure of DNA with James Watson and published the findings in the Nature Journal. In 1962, Crick became director of Cambridge University's molecular Biology Laboratory. Over the next 2 decades, Crick published many books detailing his discovery and biochemistry revolution.
