'She knew she had something really important on her hands': Rosalind Franklin figured out DNA's helical structure before Watson and Crick, study suggests

Rosalind Franklin's Photograph 51, taken in May 1952, has been the subject of new research suggesting that she knew the image held the secret of DNA's double helix structure. The study reveals that Photograph 51 was a refined version of Photograph 49, taken on the same day, indicating Franklin's intention to present her findings with the most clarity and sharpness possible.

This new understanding of Franklin's perception of the images and her intentions behind them challenges the notion that she was merely an experimental technician, providing a more nuanced view of her contributions to the discovery of DNA's structure.

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