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Photostat image of DNA X-ray diffraction image by Elwyn Beighton (1951)

  • 1951

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Photostat (early photocopy) reproduction of an X-ray diffraction image of DNA. The original image was taken in 1951 at the University of Leeds, UK by Elwyn Beighton under the supervision of William Astbury (1898-1961). This copy was sent by the historian Robert Olby (1933-2020) to crystallographer Raymond Gosling (1926-2015) in 1968 as part of a discussion about the discovery of DNA's "B" form. The B, or "wet," form of DNA was first described by Gosling and his Ph.D. supervisor Rosalind Franklin (1920-1958) based on their research at Kings College London in 1951-1952.

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  • Courtesy of Science History Institute

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Series arrangement
  • Series V: Rosalind E. Franklin papers, 1934-1959 (bulk 1950s)
  • Sub-series 6: Photographs, 1930s-1958
Physical container
  • Box 10, Folder 17

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Beighton, Elwyn, and William Thomas Astbury. “Photostat Image of DNA X-Ray Diffraction Image by Elwyn Beighton (1951),” 1951. History of Molecular Biology Collection, Box 10, Folder 17. Science History Institute. Philadelphia. https://digital.sciencehistory.org/works/zys80b4.

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