i was inspired

It was a warm sunny afternoon in 2006. I was a 16 year old boy stuck in a classroom readying myself for a 2-hour biology lesson. It is these two hours that made me fell in awe of science. Our biology teacher was merely explaining how the discovery of the DNA structure  changed the world forever.

Genetics contains 4 simple codes; A,G, C and T and these four bases provided the foundations of human life. My 6th form biology teacher was talking about how Crick and Watson determined the structure of DNA. Their story into the discovery of the double-helix DNA structure was not only compelling and fascinating, but there was a sense of controversy into their life-changing proposal in 1953. Back in the early 1950's, Crick and Watson were not the only group trying to crack the structure of DNA. A talented scientist, Rosalind Franklin was also working on the structure of DNA and had in fact created a few images (from X-ray crystallography) of what DNA looked like in her lab book. With the help of Maurice Wilkins, who was the head of Franklin's lab, Crick and Watson saw the lab book without her consent or knowledge. It was widely acknowledge later in life Franklin unpublished data of the DNA structure provided a eureka moment for the two young scientists from Cambridge University. As you know, Crick, Watson and Wilkins won the Nobel Prize for Physiology or Medicine in 1962. Franklin was not awarded the prestigious science honor due to the fact that she had passed away, probably as a result of the x-rays she was exposed to when working on DNA. Nevertheless, there is no doubt that the structure of DNA has revolutionized modern science. Nowadays we are able to manipulate certain human genes, clone organs and even animals (remember Dolly the sheep!). We can screen those who may be prone to certain diseases as a result of their genetics and provide personalized medicines.

I was inspired after hearing the DNA story and how one single discovery can change the way we look at life. I was inspired how people are still learning about this single event as one of the most important events in the 20th century. I was inspired how a few scientists had crack one of the most important questions in life, how we are made.