Francis Crick dies
Francis Crick, who helped discover the double helix shape of DNA, has died at the age of 88. He died in San Diego, CA, after a long battle with colon cancer.
Francis Crick, who helped discover the double helix shape of DNA, has died at the age of 88. He died in San Diego, CA, after a long battle with colon cancer.
Born in Northampton, UK, in 1916, Crick won the Nobel Prize in 1962 for his work on the structure of DNA structure, which he elucidated in 1953 along with James Watson at Cambridge University. Watson and a third colleague, Maurice Wilkins, shared the prize. The names of Crick and Watson have been synonymous with science ever since.
Professor Watson said: 'I will always remember Francis for his extraordinarily focused intelligence and for the many ways he showed me kindness and developed my self-confidence. Being with him for two years in a small room in Cambridge was truly a privilege.'
Crick had been living in La Jolla, CA, where he was a distinguished research professor and former president of the Salk Institute.
'Francis Crick will be remembered as one of the most brilliant and influential scientists of all time,' said Richard Murphy, the Salk Institute's president and chief executive officer.