Which group modeled and published the structure of DNA?

Which group modeled and published the structure of DNA?

• A. Franklin
• B. Watson and Crick
• C. Pasteur
• D. Linus Pauling

Answer: (B)

The idea being tested is how a correct molecular structure for DNA was determined through model-building guided by experimental data. Watson and Crick built the first accurate physical model of DNA, proposing a right-handed double helix with two strands running in opposite directions and bases pairing specifically (A with T, G with C) to connect the strands. They combined Chargaff’s base-pair rules with X-ray diffraction evidence (from Rosalind Franklin and Maurice Wilkins) that indicated a helical, regular structure. This combination allowed them to infer how the strands fit together and how genetic information could be copied during replication. Their model was published in 1953 and quickly became the accepted structure of DNA. Rosalind Franklin contributed crucial X-ray diffraction data that suggested a helical structure, providing essential clues that guided the model, but she did not publish a complete DNA structure model herself. Linus Pauling proposed a helical structure as well, but his model did not accurately describe DNA. Pasteur is known for work in microbiology and germ theory, not for detailing DNA’s structure.

The idea being tested is how a correct molecular structure for DNA was determined through model-building guided by experimental data. Watson and Crick built the first accurate physical model of DNA, proposing a right-handed double helix with two strands running in opposite directions and bases pairing specifically (A with T, G with C) to connect the strands. They combined Chargaff’s base-pair rules with X-ray diffraction evidence (from Rosalind Franklin and Maurice Wilkins) that indicated a helical, regular structure. This combination allowed them to infer how the strands fit together and how genetic information could be copied during replication. Their model was published in 1953 and quickly became the accepted structure of DNA.

Rosalind Franklin contributed crucial X-ray diffraction data that suggested a helical structure, providing essential clues that guided the model, but she did not publish a complete DNA structure model herself. Linus Pauling proposed a helical structure as well, but his model did not accurately describe DNA. Pasteur is known for work in microbiology and germ theory, not for detailing DNA’s structure.