Definition

Proper noun: - Maurice Wilkins: An English biochemist and molecular biologist, best known for his crucial role in the discovery of the double-helix structure of DNA. His X-ray diffraction work provided key experimental data used by James Watson and Francis Crick to build their model.

Usage Examples

• Proper noun:
  • Maurice Wilkins shared the 1962 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine with Watson and Crick.
  • The X-ray diffraction images produced by Maurice Wilkins and Rosalind Franklin were instrumental in understanding DNA's structure.
  • A biography details the life and scientific contributions of Maurice Wilkins.

Advanced Usage

• "The Wilkins data": A phrase used historically in scientific contexts to refer to the X-ray crystallography data of DNA fibers produced by Maurice Wilkins and his colleague Rosalind Franklin, which revealed the molecule's helical pattern.

Variants and Related Words

• Wilkins (noun): A common shorthand reference to Maurice Wilkins within the historical narrative of molecular biology.
  • Wilkins continued his research in biophysics after the DNA discovery.

Synonyms

• Scientist: A person who is studying or has expert knowledge in one or more of the natural or physical sciences.
• Biophysicist: A scientist who applies the principles of physics to understand biological systems. (This describes a key aspect of Wilkins's work methodology).

Related Phrases

• "The race for the structure of DNA": A historical term for the scientific competition in the early 1950s to determine DNA's three-dimensional shape, in which Maurice Wilkins was a central figure.

Noun

1. English biochemist who helped discover the structure of DNA (1916-2004)