Francis Crick
Francis Harry Compton Crick OM (born
June 8,
1916) is one of the discoverers of the structure of the
DNA molecule. Born in
Northampton,
England, he studied
physics at
University College London, and became a B.Sc. in
1937. After
World War II, during which he worked on magnetic and acoustic
mines, he began studying
biology.
In
1951, he started working with
James D. Watson at
Cavendish Laboratory at the
University of Cambridge in England. Building on the
X-ray research of
Rosalind Franklin, they together developed the proposal of the helical structure of DNA, which they published in
1953, and for which both were awarded the
Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine in
1962.
He also made significant contributions in laying the foundations of the now mature field of
molecular biology. This includes work on the nature of the
genetic code and the mechanisms of
protein synthesis. He left molecular biology for his other interest,
consciousness, on which he now works. His autobiographical book
What Mad Pursuit includes a description of why he left molecular biology and switched to neuroscience. Crick's book
The Astonishing Hypothesis makes the argument that
neuroscience now has the tools required to begin a scientific study of how
brains produce conscious experiences.
Crick currently works at the
Salk Institute in
La Jolla, California [1].
Books by Crick
\n* Of Molecules and Men (Prometheus Books, 2004; original edition 1967) ISBN 1591021855 \n* What Mad Pursuit: A Personal View of Scientific Discovery (Basic Books reprint edition, 1990) ISBN 0465091385 \n* The Astonishing Hypothesis: The Scientific Search For The Soul (Scribner reprint edition, 1995) ISBN 0684801582
Books about Crick
\n* James D. Watson, The Double Helix: A Personal Account of the Discovery of the Structure of DNA, Atheneum, 1980, ISBN 0689706022 (first published in 1968) is very readable first hand account of the research by Crick and Watson. The book also formed the basis of the award winning television dramatisation Life Story by BBC Horizon.\n* Francis Crick and James Watson: Pioneers in DNA Research by John Bankston, Francis Crick and James D. Watson (Mitchell Lane Publishers, Inc., 2002) ISBN 1584151226
External links
\n*Nature 171, 737-738 (1953): Letters to nature: Molecular structure of Nucleic Acids (Original text)
Crick, FrancisCrick, FrancisCrick, FrancisCrick, Francis\n\n\n\n\n\n
