Their Story Their Voice
Their Story Their Voice
Rosalind Franklin: The Unsung Hero of DNA
In this episode, we explore the life and legacy of Rosalind Franklin, the brilliant scientist whose groundbreaking work in X-ray crystallography paved the way for understanding DNA’s double-helix structure.
Born into a supportive family in 1920s London, Rosalind defied societal norms to pursue a career in science, excelling in the male-dominated field of physical chemistry. Her dedication led to the creation of “Photo 51,” a pivotal image that revealed DNA’s structure—but her contributions were overshadowed, and she was denied the recognition she deserved during her lifetime.
Discover the story of her resilience, brilliance, and the injustice that has since come to symbolize the challenges faced by women in science. Let’s honor Rosalind Franklin—a trailblazer who changed the world and whose legacy continues to inspire.
Please note transcription accuracy may vary.
Sources:
https://www.nature.com/articles/d41586-020-00349-1
https://www.smithsonianmag.com
https://royalsociety.org/people/rosalind-franklin-11421
Music by:
(Neffex - A year ago)
(Neffex - dont want to let myself go)
Hi hi hi and happy new year and I'm so sorry this episode's coming out later than I wanted. I got ill and I never really get like physically ill but I got ill and on the day I wanted to get this episode out I was lying in bed, I could not move, I hadn't eaten for however many days and all I kept on thinking, because I had a whole load of stuff to do, and I just kept on thinking, I need to get this episode out, I need to get this episode out, and my body said, yeah, you might want to do that, but that's not happening, so I'm sorry. So I'm going to start, I'm going to try and be as concise, uh, I want to say to the point, but I can never really promise that's going to happen. But hi, hi, hi. And importantly, happy new year. Happy new year to wherever you are. I hope you're all well. And happy new year. Happy 2025. Obviously, I'm excited about 2025, but I'm just excited about everything most of the time. So I'm going to start. Science and everyday life cannot be and should not be separated. These were the words of Rosalind Franklin. A woman whose work shaped the very fabric of modern science, yet her contributions to one of humanity's greatest discoveries, the structure of DNA, were for a time, overshadowed and actually nearly forgotten. So I wanted to start the year by celebrating someone who, to me, in my opinion, shouldn't be and can't be forgotten because her story is of brilliance and perseverance and unyielding dedication to truth. She was born in 1920 to a Jewish family. She grew up surrounded by intellectual curiosity and a strong sense of social responsibility. Her father, Ellis Franklin, was a banker who valued education and philanthropy, and her mother, Muriel, nurtured a love for learning in all her five children. At a time when women were discouraged from pursuing higher education, Rosalind excelled academically, She attended St. Paul's Girl School, where she thrived in science and mathematics. She went on to study physical chemistry at Cambridge University, Cambridge University in the United Kingdom, breaking societal norms and paving the way for her groundbreaking career. What is physical chemistry? Physical chemistry is all about the understanding the how and the why behind chemical processes. It focuses on the forces and rules that govern atoms and molecules, how fast reactions happen, why some need heat to start and how atoms arrange themselves in materials. For Rosalind, this field was the gateway to uncovering the invisible world of molecules. Her expertise allowed her to make the invisible visible, unlocking the secrets of life itself. Her story intersects with one of the most scientific discoveries in history, the structure of DNA. I'm not going to do that thing where I then explain what DNA is, because I feel like we've all got that. In 1952, Rosalind and her student captured the Photo 51 using x ray crystallography. I get it. Sometimes I'm really bad with words anyway, but I feel like this is probably the longest I've actually spoken for. A good two weeks. I'm going to keep going. The image, image 51, the result of over 100 hours of meticulous work revealed the spiral that we all know today and we refer to as the shape of DNA. You know, the spiral shape that we see, the double helix. How did she do it? Her brilliance lay in her precision and her power. Persistence. She prepared DNA samples in just the right way. So they produced clear diffraction patterns when exposed to X rays. This required blending diff This required blending different disciplines. So I know I mentioned chemistry, but this was more than just chemistry. This was chemistry, physics for understanding x ray diffraction. Biology, since, yeah, come on, we all know DNA is the molecule of life. Mathematics, to interpret the patterns and calculate the DNA structure. Her work was transform, her work was transformational, not just for chemistry, but for biology and physics too. And then we're going to move on to where I have to always just, it's almost like I feel like I have to ruin it, but I don't feel like it's fair to tell her story without covering all of it because some of her story, it's slightly bittersweet, for Rosalind, this field was the gateway to understanding the invisible world of molecules. Her expertise allowed her to make the invisible visible, unlocking the secrets of life itself. Here's where the story becomes. slightly bittersweet. Her work was critical to the discovery of DNA structure, yet she didn't receive the credit she deserved. And when I was researching this, surprise surprise, did it nearly make me cry? Yes it did because it made me feel so sad that she just went unrecognized for such a long time. Her colleague, Maurice Wilkins, shared Photo 51 with James Watson without her knowledge. Watson and his partner, Francis Crick, Crick? Watson and his partner, Francis Crick, uses it as, used it as a key piece of evidence for their famous DNA model. They published their findings and in 1962 the Nobel Prize for the discovery was awarded to Watson, Crick and Wilkins. And this is the bit that, that made me sad inside. Rosalind, who had passed away in 1958, was never included. So, to not make it all doom and gloom, despite the injustice, She's now celebrated as a pioneer. Her story highlights the importance of recognising contributions fairly, particularly those of women in science who were often overlooked. Her dedication has impacted countless of lives, from advances in genetics to breakthroughs in medicine. She showed how precision. and persistence could uncover the deepest secrets of life. Oh my god. Acts of kindness. She was easy. She was so easy. Beyond her scientific achievements, her kindness and integrity stood out. She was generous with her time and knowledge, mentoring young scientists and ensuring they had the tools to succeed. Her humanity meant she never sought recognition for herself, but worked tirelessly to advance humanity's understanding of the world. Her quiet acts of generosity combined with her brilliance have left an enduring legacy. She reminds us that kindness and collaboration are the key. are essential to progress, as ambition and innovation, like kindness and collaboration, go hand in hand. Her story teaches us the importance of acknowledging overlooked voices and the injustice. of disregarding contributions based on gender or circumstance. Her work reminds us that science is collaborative and that every piece matters. As we enter into the new year, let's carry her spirit forward. A commitment to truth, fairness and to the pursuit of knowledge for the betterment of humanity. Whilst there has been some progress, because I'm gonna have to Just come, bring it back, bring it back to recent times. There has been some progress, I get that. However, gender disparity persists in several ways. I'm going to list them, obviously. Women are underrepresented in major scientific awards. For example, Only 61 women have received a Nobel Prize in any field as of 2023, compared to over 900 men. Even when women contribute equally to discoveries, they may be overlooked or overshadowed by male colleagues. There's a name for this. It's called the Matilda effect. Matilda effect, was coined in 1993 by an historian of science called Margaret W. Resetta. And it's named after Matilda Jocelyn Godge, a 19th century women's rights activist, who wrote about the frequent erasure of women's accompliments in history. So I didn't make it up. It's actually, it's actually a real thing. Studies show that women scientists often receive less funding than men, even when they apply for grants at similar rates. Women's research proposals are sometimes scrutinised more harshly, making it harder to secure resources for ground breaking work. Women publish fewer papers on average and are less likely to be first or last on the list. authors on major studies. Even when they do publish, their work is cited less frequently than that of male scientists. There are so many factors that cause this. We've got implicit bias, we've got gender stereotypes. Also, just going to add in, this isn't just in science, this is also engineering. Technology. Women are often assigned less prestigious or supportive roles within teams. And then, because I don't feel like I've ever learned, I've ever said this one, we've got the glass ceiling. Women are underrepresented in leadership positions, in academia, and in industries. They face barriers to career advancement, often being passed over for promotions or tenure, despite having equal qualifications to their male counterparts. Oh, and then there's balancing woman and family, because women are also faced with greater expectations to manage family responsibilities, which can limit their ability to work long hours or accept more demanding roles. However, because I'm going to finish. I do not even care. I'm not doing a 2025 and ending it on a not happy note. Despite these challenges, more efforts are being made to recognize and support women in science. There are awards and initiatives like the L'Oreal UNESCO, which is basically Women in Science, aimed to spotlight women scientists and their contributions. Visibility campaigns, yay to social media. and to the advocacy groups, highlight the achievements of women in STEM, encouraging younger generations to pursue science, mentoring and support. Organizations are now creating mentorship opportunities to help women navigate careers in science. Why did I add this in to her story? I wanted to add it in because I wanted to highlight that sometimes I do these episodes And it's like, oh, well, they were alive such a long time ago. So their story isn't relevant. Their story is relevant. Their path is relevant. And now I will, and now I will, I will rein myself back in. Rosalind Franklin's story isn't just about her. It's a mirror reflecting the challenges women in science still face today. Rosalind's perseverance reminds us why visibility and recognition matter. Science thrives on diversity and collaboration, and by ensuring all voices are heard, we open the doors to all these great discoveries. So, I'm going to finish. I just want to consider the countless women today who are shaping the future of science, often against similar odds, they too deserve the spotlight. So thank you to them. Thank you to Rosalind. Thank you, because I feel like now I've been, I've done those two episodes, or this is second one, Women in Science. On that note, I will finish and as per normal, as per always be kind. to others, but most importantly, be kind to yourself because I don't know how people see a new year. I know people have goals like new year, new me. I just see it as an extension of other days. Some days will be good and will be light and bright and some not so much, but actually we can do it. And people like, Rosalind, they're there to remind us of these things, but even when things are hard, when everyone's against you, do you know what? It doesn't matter. If you know that you can create something or you know that there's an idea that you can put out there, you can honour yourself, don't let anyone tell you otherwise. And that's it. So, Happy New Year and be kind, again, to others, but most importantly, be kind to yourself.
