Wilkins, Maurice Hugh Frederick

Wilkins, Maurice Hugh Frederick
▪ 2005

      New Zealand-born British biophysicist (b. Dec. 15, 1916, Pongaroa, N.Z.—d. Oct. 5, 2004, London, Eng.), used X-ray crystallography to investigate the DNA molecule and thereby contributed to the discovery of DNA's structure by James Watson and Francis Crick (q.v. (Crick, Francis Harry Compton )), with whom he shared the 1962 Nobel Prize for Physiology or Medicine. Wilkins's role in unraveling the structure of DNA was less well known than that of the more celebrated Watson and Crick; at his lab at King's College, London, in the early 1950s, Wilkins (with his colleague Rosalind Franklin) used the then-new technique of X-ray crystallography to study the chemical bonds and atomic orientation of the DNA molecule. Meanwhile, Watson and Crick were trying to elucidate the molecule's structure by building models in their laboratory at the University of Cambridge. Franklin's and Wilkins's findings helped the Cambridge duo determine the correct model for the physical structure of DNA. In 1953 the findings of Wilkins and Franklin were published in the same issue of the journal Nature as those of Watson and Crick, but the latter two scientists received most of the world's attention. (Franklin died in 1958, before the Nobel Prize was awarded.) Wilkins studied at St. John's College, Cambridge, and the University of Birmingham and worked on the Manhattan Project during World War II. After the war he switched to studying biological systems and became an ardent voice for nuclear disarmament, helping to establish the British Society for Social Responsibility in Science in 1969. Wilkins was made CBE in 1963. His autobiography, The Third Man of the Double Helix (2003), offered a reflective account of the atmosphere surrounding the DNA studies of 50 years earlier.

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  • Wilkins,Maurice Hugh Frederick — Wilkins, Maurice Hugh Frederick. Born 1916. British biophysicist. He shared the 1962 Nobel Prize in physiology or medicine for advances in the study of DNA. * * * …   Universalium

  • Wilkins , Maurice Hugh Frederick — (1916–) New Zealand–British biophysicist Wilkins was born at Pongaroa in New Zealand. After graduating in physics from Cambridge University in England in 1938, he joined John Randall at Birmingham University to work on the improvement of radar… …   Scientists

  • Maurice Hugh Frederick Wilkins — Maurice H.F. Wilkins Maurice Hugh Frederick Wilkins (* 15. Dezember 1916 in Pongaroa, Nord Wairarapa, Neuseeland; † 5. Oktober 2004 in London) war ein neuseeländischer Physiker und forschte vor allem im Bereich der Röntgenstrahlung. Im Alter von… …   Deutsch Wikipedia

  • Maurice Hugh Frederick Wilkins — Maurice Wilkins Pour les articles homonymes, voir Wilkins. Maurice Hugh Frederick Wilkins (15 décembre 1916 5 octobre 2004) est un physicien britannique d origine néo zélandaise principalement connu pour ses travaux sur les… …   Wikipédia en Français

  • Wilkins, Maurice (Hugh Frederick) — born Dec. 15, 1916, Pongaroa, N.Z. died Oct. 6, 2004, London, Eng. New Zealand born British biophysicist. Educated in Birmingham and Cambridge, he participated in the Manhattan Project, working on the separation of uranium isotopes for use in the …   Universalium

  • Wilkins, Maurice (Hugh Frederick) — (15 dic. 1916, Pongaroa, Nueva Zelanda–5 oct. 2004, Londres, Inglaterra). Biofísico británico nacido en Nueva Zelanda. Estudió en Birmingham y Cambridge, participó en el proyecto Manhattan trabajando en la separación de los isótopos de uranio… …   Enciclopedia Universal

  • Maurice Hugh Frederick Wilkins — noun English biochemist who helped discover the structure of DNA (1916 2004) • Syn: ↑Wilkins, ↑Maurice Wilkins • Instance Hypernyms: ↑biochemist …   Useful english dictionary

  • Medizinnobelpreis 1962: Francis Harry Compton Crick — James Dewey Watson — Maurice Hugh Frederick Wilkins —   Die drei Forscher erhielten den Nobelpreis für ihre Entdeckungen über die Molekularstruktur der Nucleinsäuren und deren Bedeutung für die Informationsübertragung in lebender Materie.    Biografien   Francis Harry Compton Crick, * Northampton… …   Universal-Lexikon

  • Wilkins, Maurice — ▪ British biophysicist in full  Maurice Hugh Frederick Wilkins   born December 15, 1916, Pongaroa, New Zealand died October 6, 2004, London, England       New Zealand born British biophysicist whose X ray (X ray diffraction) diffraction studies… …   Universalium

  • Wilkins — Maurice Hugh Frederick …   Scientists

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