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DNA structure discovery Trivia Questions

How much do you really know about DNA structure discovery? Below are 8 true or false statements. Click each one to reveal the answer and explanation.

1.

The discovery of DNA's structure was announced in a 1953 paper less than one page long.

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Easy
✓ TRUE

Watson and Crick's Nature paper was only about 900 words, yet it revolutionized biology.

2.

Watson and Crick discovered DNA structure entirely from their own lab experiments.

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Medium
✗ FALSE

They relied heavily on Franklin's X-ray data and Chargaff's base pairing rules, not original lab work.

3.

The Nobel Prize for DNA's structure was awarded to Watson, Crick, and Wilkins in 1962.

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Medium
✓ TRUE

Franklin had died of cancer in 1958; Nobel rules then barred posthumous awards, so she was excluded.

4.

Rosalind Franklin's X-ray crystallography image Photo 51 was key to discovering DNA's double helix.

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Medium
✓ TRUE

Franklin's Photo 51 revealed the helical structure, which Watson and Crick used without her permission to build their model.

5.

Watson and Crick's DNA model was immediately accepted by the scientific community without controversy.

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Medium
✗ FALSE

Initial skepticism existed, and Franklin's contribution was downplayed for decades, sparking later controversy.

6.

Maurice Wilkins secretly shared Franklin's Photo 51 with Watson without her knowledge.

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Hard
✓ TRUE

Wilkins showed Photo 51 to Watson, catalyzing the double-helix breakthrough, but without Franklin's consent.

7.

Erwin Chargaff discovered that DNA is a single-stranded molecule held together by hydrogen bonds.

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Hard
✗ FALSE

Chargaff discovered base pairing rules (A=T, G=C), not single-strandedness; DNA is double-stranded.

8.

Linus Pauling proposed an incorrect triple-helix model for DNA just months before Watson and Crick.

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Hard
✓ TRUE

Pauling's triple-helix model was flawed due to wrong phosphate positions, spurring Watson and Crick to race ahead.

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