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 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.

Table of contents

1 External links 2 Books by Crick 3 Books about Crick

External links

• Francis Crick
• Nature 171, 737-738 (1953): Letters to nature: Molecular structure of Nucleic Acids (Original text)