Rosalind Franklin: DNA's unsung hero - Cláudio L. Guerra

譯者: Ann Chen 審譯者: Helen Chang

The discovery of the structure of DNA

去氧核糖核酸（DNA）結構的發現

was one of the most important scientific achievements in the last century,

是上個世紀──事實上 是人類史上最重要的科學成就之一

in human history, in fact.

The now-famous double helix is almost synonymous with Watson and Crick,

現今聞名的雙螺旋結構 和「華生和克里克」密切相關

two of the scientists who won the Nobel Prize for figuring it out.

這兩位科學家因解析其結構 而贏得諾貝爾獎

But there's another name you may know, too,

但另有個你可能也知道的名字

Rosalind Franklin.

羅莎琳·富蘭克林

You may have heard that her data supported Watson and Crick's brilliant idea,

你可能已聽過她的研究資料 佐證華生和克里克的卓越觀念

or that she was a plain-dressing, belligerent scientist,

或她是一個衣著樸素 好鬪的科學家

which is how Watson actually described her in "The Double Helix."

這是華生在《雙螺旋》 一書中對她的描述

But thanks to Franklin's biographers,

但多虧富蘭克林的傳記作家

who investigated her life and interviewed many people close to her,

他們調查她的生平 訪問許多與她親近的人

we now know that that account is far from true,

我們現在知道那些描述遠非事實

and her scientific contributions have been vastly underplayed.

而且她的科學貢獻被極度貶低

Let's hear the real story.

讓我們來聽真實的故事

Rosalind Elsie Franklin was born in London in 1920.

羅莎琳·愛爾西·富蘭克林 在 1920 年生於倫敦

She wanted to be a scientist ever since she was a teenager,

她自青少年時期就期望成為科學家

which wasn't a common or easy career path for girls at that time.

在當時對於女孩子 這不是一種普通或容易的生涯途徑

But she excelled at science anyway.

即使這樣，她在科學上仍很傑出

She won a scholarship to Cambridge to study chemistry,

她獲得獎學金到劍橋大學研修化學

where she earned her Ph.D.,

在那裡她獲得博士學位

and she later conducted research on the structure of coal

後來，她研究了關於煤的結構

that led to better gas masks for the British during World War II.

使得二戰時期英國有較好的防毒面具

In 1951, she joined King's College

在 1951 年，她加入國王學院

to use x-ray techniques to study the structure of DNA,

運用 X 射線技術研究 DNA 的結構

then one of the hottest topics in science.

那是當時科學最熱門的主題之一

Franklin upgraded the x-ray lab and got to work

富蘭克林改善了 X 射線實驗室 並開始投入工作

shining high-energy x-rays on tiny, wet crystals of DNA.

將高能量 X 射線 射在小而濕潤的 DNA 晶體上

But the acadmemic culture at the time wasn't very friendly to women,

但當時的學術文化對女性並不友善

and Franklin was isolated from her colleagues.

而且富蘭克林被她的同事排擠

She clashed with Maurice Wilkins,

她與莫里斯·威爾金斯發生衝突

a labmate who assumed Franklin had been hired as his assistant.

他是她的實驗室夥伴 認為富蘭克林是被僱來當他的助手

But Franklin kept working,

但富蘭克林繼續研究

and in 1952, she obtained Photo 51, the most famous x-ray image of DNA.

在 1952 年她拍攝到「照片 51 號」 最著名的 DNA X 射線照片

Just getting the image took 100 hours,

光要取得照片就花了 100 個小時

the calculations necessary to analyze it would take a year.

所需分析的計算得再花一年的時間

Meanwhile, the American biologist James Watson

同時，美國生物學家詹姆斯·華生

and the British physicist Francis Crick

以及英國物理學家佛朗西斯·克里克

were also working on finding DNA's structure.

也在研究發掘 DNA 的結構

Without Franklin's knowledge,

在富蘭克林不知情下

Wilkins took Photo 51 and showed it to Watson and Crick.

威爾金斯將照片 51 號 拿給華生與克里克看

Instead of calculating the exact position of every atom,

他們兩人不去計算 每個原子的正確位置

they did a quick analysis of Franklin's data

而把富蘭克林的資料做了快速分析

and used that to build a few potential structures.

並且利用資料建立一些可能的結構

Eventually, they arrived at the right one.

最後終於得出正確的 DNA 結構

DNA is made of two helicoidal strands,

DNA 是由兩股螺旋鏈構成

one opposite the other with bases in the center like rungs of a ladder.

兩股相對

鹼基在中間狀如梯子的階梯

Watson and Crick published their model in April 1953.

華生和克里克在 1953 年四月 發表了他們的模型

Meanwhile, Franklin had finished her calculations,

同時，富蘭克林已完成她的計算

come to the same conclusion,

得到相同的結論

and submitted her own manuscript.

提交她自己的文稿

The journal published the manuscripts together,

期刊將他們的文稿一起刊登

but put Franklin's last,

但把富蘭克林的排在最後

making it look like her experiments just confirmed Watson and Crick's breakthrough

使得看起來好像她的實驗 只是證實了華生和克里克的大發現

instead of inspiring it.

而不是啟發了他們

But Franklin had already stopped working on DNA

不過富蘭克林已停止 DNA 的研究

and died of cancer in 1958,

而且在 1958 年因癌症過逝

never knowing that Watson and Crick had seen her photographs.

從不知道華生和克里克 曾經看過她的照片

Watson, Crick, and Wilkins won the Nobel Prize in 1962

華生、克里克與威爾金斯在 1962 年 因 DNA 的研究獲得諾貝爾獎

for their work on DNA.

It's often said that Franklin would have been recognized by a Nobel Prize

人們常說富蘭克林 本可能獲頒諾貝爾獎

if only they could be awarded posthumously.

如果這項獎能死後追授

And, in fact, it's possible she could have won twice.

其實，她可能還能贏得兩次

Her work on the structure of viruses led to a Nobel for a colleague in 1982.

她在病毒結構的研究使得一位同事 在 1982 年獲得諾貝爾獎

It's time to tell the story of a brave woman who fought sexism in science,

該是述說這位勇敢的女性對抗 科學界性別歧視事跡的時候了

and whose work revolutionized medicine, biology, and agriculture.

她的研究徹底革新 醫學、生物學和農業

It's time to honor Rosalind Elsie Franklin,

該是榮耀

羅莎琳·愛爾西·富蘭克林的時候

the unsung mother of the double helix.

這位未被讚頌的雙螺旋之母