What is the DOI of Watson and Crick's first DNA-structure paper?
Answer
10.1038/171737a0
The DOI of Watson and Crick's first DNA-structure paper is 10.1038/171737a0. The paper, titled “Molecular Structure of Nucleic Acids: A Structure for Deoxyribose Nucleic Acid,” appeared in Nature on 25 April 1953, in volume 171, pages 737–738.
The article proposed DNA as a double helix with paired bases. Its famous closing observation—that specific base pairing suggested a copying mechanism—connected molecular structure to heredity and helped launch modern molecular biology.
The DOI is sometimes confused with nearby identifiers from the same issue. Nature also published related papers, including Pauling and Corey's incorrect DNA model and a companion article by Franklin and Gosling. Those papers have different page numbers and DOIs, so the number ending in 737a0 specifically identifies the Watson–Crick article.
The paper listed the authors as J. D. Watson and F. H. C. Crick. Maurice Wilkins and Rosalind Franklin were not coauthors, although their experimental work was central to the evidence surrounding the discovery.