Who discovered the structure of DNA alongside Francis Crick?

James Watson discovered the structure of DNA alongside Francis Crick. In 1953, Watson and Crick proposed the molecule's double-helix model, explaining how two complementary strands are held together by paired bases. Their model showed how DNA could carry biological information and potentially be copied.

The breakthrough depended on crucial evidence from other researchers. Rosalind Franklin and Raymond Gosling produced important X-ray diffraction images of DNA, including the famous Photo 51, while Maurice Wilkins and colleagues also studied the molecule's structure. Watson and Crick integrated this evidence with chemical and geometric reasoning to build their model.

The phrase “discovered the structure” is therefore a simplified account, not a claim that Watson and Crick worked alone. Watson, Crick, and Wilkins received the 1962 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine; Franklin had died in 1958 and Nobel Prizes are not awarded posthumously. The double helix remains one of the foundational discoveries of modern molecular biology.