Question

Along with JD Watson, Francis Crick and Maurice Wilkins, Rosalind Franklin also contributed significantly towards the development of double helical structure of the DNA. All but Rosalind Franklin was awarded with the Nobel Prize. The reason for not awarding Nobel Prize to Roslind Franklin was -

• A. She was too young for the award
• B. Her research paper was not published in a high Impact Factor rated journal
• C. Her subject did not have a Nobel Prize at all
• D. She died before the result of the Nobel award for that year was declared

Hint:

Nobel rules also dictate that a single prize can be shared by a maximum of three living individuals, which often complicates awards for collaborative scientific breakthroughs.

Answer 1

The Correct Option is D

Step 1: Understanding the Concept:
The Nobel Prize is governed by strict rules and statutes established by the Nobel Foundation.
One of the most rigid rules of the Nobel Committee is the prohibition of posthumous nominations or awards.

Step 2: Detailed Explanation:
Rosalind Franklin was an exceptionally talented biophysicist and X-ray crystallographer.
Her famous "Photo 51" provided the critical, high-resolution X-ray diffraction data that proved the double-helical nature of DNA, including its phosphate backbone on the outside and helical dimensions.
This data was essential for James Watson and Francis Crick to construct their correct double-helix model of DNA.
However, Rosalind Franklin passed away from ovarian cancer in April 1958 at the young age of 37.
The Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine for the discovery of the DNA double helix was awarded in 1962 to James Watson, Francis Crick, and Maurice Wilkins.
According to the statutes of the Nobel Foundation established in 1974, and historically followed with very few exceptions, the Nobel Prize cannot be awarded posthumously.
Since Franklin had passed away four years prior to the 1962 award ceremony, she was legally ineligible to be nominated or to share the prize.

Step 3: Final Answer:
The primary reason Rosalind Franklin was not awarded the Nobel Prize was her untimely death prior to the declaration of the award, which is represented by option (D).