James Watson and Francis Crick made their groundbreaking discovery of the double helix structure of DNA in 1953. This monumental achievement was based on a combination of experimental data and insights from their contemporaries, particularly Rosalind Franklin’s x-ray diffraction images of DNA.
Upon analyzing these images, Watson and Crick deduced that DNA comprises two strands that wind around each other in a helical shape, with the strands made up of nucleotides. This discovery was crucial because it provided a clear understanding of how genetic information is stored and duplicated in living organisms. Their model was published in the journal Nature in April 1953, which has been hailed as one of the most important scientific discoveries of the 20th century.