James Watson and Francis Crick are the scientists who discovered the double helix structure of DNA in 1953. They realized that DNA consists of two strands coiled around each other, held together by specific base pairs (adenine with thymine, and cytosine with guanine), forming the twisted ladder shape known as the double helix
. This discovery was pivotal in understanding how genetic information is stored and transferred in living organisms, laying the foundation for modern molecular biology and biotechnology
. Their work was based on experimental data, notably the X-ray diffraction images produced by Rosalind Franklin and Maurice Wilkins, which were critical to confirming the helical structure of DNA
. For this groundbreaking discovery, Watson, Crick, and Wilkins were awarded the Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine in 1962
. In summary, Watson and Crick discovered the molecular structure of DNA—the double helix—which explained how genetic information is encoded and replicated in living cells
