Historical Figures Codexery

Francis Crick

Co-discoverer of the helical structure of DNA

Francis Crick was a theoretical molecular biologist who co-discovered the double helix structure of DNA in 1953.[1] Crick introduced the phrase "central dogma" to capture the concept that genetic information moves from nucleic acids to proteins and cannot reverse direction.[2]

Quick Facts

Born
8 June 1916
Birthplace
Weston Favell, Northamptonshire, England
Died
28 July 2004
Place of death
San Diego, California, US
Occupation
  • Molecular biologist
  • biophysicist
  • neuroscientist
Field
Physics; Molecular biology
Education
  • University College London
  • University of London (BSc)
  • University of Cambridge (PhD)
Doctoral advisor
Max Perutz

Facts from the source article.

Life and work

He earned a Bachelor of Science degree from University College London in 1937.[3] His PhD research on water viscosity was interrupted by World War II, during which he designed mines for the Admiralty Research Laboratory.[4][5] After the war, Crick switched from physics to biology, influenced by Erwin Schrödinger's book What Is Life?.[6] He began working with James Watson at the Cavendish Laboratory in Cambridge in late 1951.[7]

He died of colon cancer on 28 July 2004 in La Jolla, California.[8] Francis Crick, the first child of Harry and Annie Elizabeth Crick, was born on 8 June 1916 in Weston Favell, a village near Northampton.[8] Watson and Crick published their double helix model of DNA in 1953, drawing on X-ray diffraction data from Rosalind Franklin and Maurice Wilkins.[7][9] At the Salk Institute, Crick served as the J.W. Kieckhefer Distinguished Research Professor, where his later research concentrated on theoretical neurobiology and the scientific study of consciousness.[10]

What the cited sources add

The same source notes that Crick made fundamental contributions to X-ray analysis, protein synthesis, the genetic code, and the study of consciousness.[1] The Science History Institute account explains that Crick lacked a background in the life sciences but was extremely capable.[9] The Guardian reports that Crick's Nobel medal sold at auction in June 2013 for over $2 million.[11][12] The buyer was Jack Wang, CEO of Biomobie, and 20% of the sale price went to the Francis Crick Institute.[11][12]

A modern summary of Crick's 1958 paper notes that his name is "inextricably tied to the discovery of the double helix of deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA) in 1953".[1]

References

  1. Crick FH, "On protein synthesis", Symp. Soc. Exp. Biol., 1958, p. 138–63. facts only, no text reused. profiles.nlm.nih.gov
  2. Wikipedia, "Francis Crick" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: Crick FH, "On protein synthesis", Symp. Soc. Exp. Biol., 1958, p. 138–63 (we also read that source) en.wikipedia.org
  3. Wikipedia, "Francis Crick" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: Crick (1990), Chapters 1 and 2 provide Crick's description of his early life and education. (original not read by us) en.wikipedia.org
  4. Wikipedia, "Francis Crick" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: Crick (1990), p. 13; Rich, "Obituary: Francis Crick (1916–2004)", Nature, 2004, p. 845–847 (original not read by us) en.wikipedia.org
  5. Wikipedia, "Francis Crick" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: Cruise, "Sir Robert Boyd", The Guardian, 2004-02-11; "Bio at Wellcome Trust", Genome.wellcome.ac.uk (original not read by us) en.wikipedia.org
  6. Wikipedia, "Francis Crick" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: Watson, "The double helix: a personal account of the discovery of the structure of DNA", Scribner, 1998; Crick (1990), p. 18 (we also read that source) en.wikipedia.org
  7. Wikipedia, "Francis Crick" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: "Molecular Structure of Nucleic Acids: A Structure for Deoxyribose Nucleic Acid", Nature, 1953, p. 737–8; Francis Crick's 1962 Biography from the Nobel foundation.; "James Watson, Francis Crick, Maurice Wilkins, and Rosalind Franklin", Science History Institute, June 2016 (we also read that source) en.wikipedia.org
  8. Wikipedia, "Francis Crick" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: Bretscher, "Francis Harry Compton Crick OM. 8 June 1916 – 28 July 2004", Biographical Memoirs of Fellows of the Royal Society, 2017, p. 159–196 (original not read by us) en.wikipedia.org
  9. "James Watson, Francis Crick, Maurice Wilkins, and Rosalind Franklin", Science History Institute, June 2016. facts only, no text reused. sciencehistory.org
  10. Wikipedia, "Francis Crick" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: Shermer, "Astonishing Mind: Francis Crick 1916–2004", Skeptics Society, 30 July 2004 (original not read by us) en.wikipedia.org
  11. "Francis Crick's Nobel prize medal sells for over £1.3m", The Guardian. facts only, no text reused. theguardian.com
  12. Wikipedia, "Francis Crick" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: "Francis Crick's Nobel Prize Brings $2.27 Million To Lead $4.97 Million Manuscripts And Rare Book Event", Heritage Auctions; "Francis Crick's Nobel prize medal sells for over £1.3m", The Guardian; "Francis Crick's Nobel prize medal sells for over £1.3m", The Guardian (we also read that source) en.wikipedia.org

Each numbered sentence above was checked against the source it cites before publication. Sentences citing Wikipedia adapt text from the English Wikipedia article Francis Crick (contributors), used under CC BY-SA 4.0; this entry is available under the same licence. Other sources were used for facts only; no text or images are copied from them.

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