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[[File:Francis_Crick.jpg|thumb|right|Francis Crick]]

[[File:Francis_Crick.jpg|thumb|right|Francis Crick]]

'''Francis Crick''' (1916 - 2004) was the British [[biophysicist]] who, together with the American [[James Watson]] discovered the structure of the molecule [[DNA]]. For this discovery Crick was awarded the [[Nobel Prize]] for Medicine in 1962 with Watson and [[Maurice Wilkins]]. The exclusion of [[Rosalind Franklin]] from the prize is controversial since she did much of the [[X-ray]] crystallography work that made Crick and Watson's observations possible. The accusation of sexism often leveled at the judges is unfair however as the prize is never awarded posthumously and Franklin died, tragically, from [[cancer]] in 1958.

'''Francis Crick''' (1916 - 2004) was the British [[biophysicist]] who, together with the American [[James Watson]] discovered the structure of the molecule [[DNA]]. For this discovery Crick was awarded the [[Nobel Prize]] for Medicine in 1962 with Watson and [[Maurice Wilkins]]. Crick's level of contribution to the discovery of DNA is somewhat dubious, as he has been known to engage in pseudoscience.<ref>Press release from the British Humanist Association: [http://www.humanism.org.uk/site/cms/contentViewArticle.asp?article=1348 Darwin Day a natural holiday?] (12 February 2003).</ref>

 

 

The exclusion of [[Rosalind Franklin]] from the Nobel prize is controversial since she did much of the [[X-ray]] crystallography work that made Crick and Watson's observations possible. The accusation of sexism often leveled at the judges is unfair however as the prize is never awarded posthumously and Franklin died, tragically, from [[cancer]] in 1958.

The discovery of the double helical structure of DNA is widely regarded as one of the most important of the 20th century as it is the basis for all future work on [[genetics]] and the theory of [[intelligent design]]. Crick's later research elucidated the mechanism whereby the nucleotide bases on a strand of DNA are transcribed into the [[amino acid]] 'building blocks' of protein molecules.  Crick described himself as an [[agnostic]] with "a strong inclination towards [[atheism]]."<ref>Francis Crick, What Mad Pursuit: a Personal View of Scientific Discovery, Basic Books reprint edition, 1990, ISBN 0-465-09138-5, p. 145.</ref>

The discovery of the double helical structure of DNA is widely regarded as one of the most important of the 20th century as it is the basis for all future work on [[genetics]] and the theory of [[intelligent design]]. Crick's later research elucidated the mechanism whereby the nucleotide bases on a strand of DNA are transcribed into the [[amino acid]] 'building blocks' of protein molecules.  Crick described himself as an [[agnostic]] with "a strong inclination towards [[atheism]]."<ref>Francis Crick, What Mad Pursuit: a Personal View of Scientific Discovery, Basic Books reprint edition, 1990, ISBN 0-465-09138-5, p. 145.</ref>