Science
Erwin Chargaff
Researcher of DNA base composition
Who they are
Erwin Chargaff’s chemical measurements supplied evidence relevant to the DNA structural problem. Watson and Crick cited his base-composition findings in their 1953 model paper. His role here is the experimental chemical constraint used by model builders, distinct from authorship of their article or of the accompanying X-ray papers.
He helps show why the double helix was a collaboration across different kinds of evidence.
Selected contributions
- Supplied DNA base-composition findings cited by Watson and Crick.Source ↗
Primary records
Academic paper · 1953
Molecular Structure of Nucleic Acids: A Structure for Deoxyribose Nucleic Acid
Watson and Crick propose two DNA chains with complementary base pairs and suggest an implication for copying. Their short paper acknowledges experimental and chemical evidence supplied by other researchers and calls for further testing.
Reading scope & citation
Reuses documented prior inspection: Full transcribed article read; header’s April 2 is the manuscript date, checked against Nature’s publication metadata. Minor transcription typos not reproduced. Reuses the input’s documented prior inspection: Full transcribed article read; header’s April 2 is the manuscript date, checked against Nature’s publication metadata. Minor transcription typos not reproduced. No fresh full-work reread in this directory pass.
In the timeline
Biography sources
- Molecular Structure of Nucleic Acids: A Structure for Deoxyribose Nucleic Acid ↗Nature 171, 737–738; transcription hosted by California State University, Stanislaus