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Ephemera

Mock D.N.A. Helix Funeral Invitation

  • 1952-Jul-18

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Rosalind Franklin (1920-1958) and Raymond G. Gosling (1926-2015) wrote a satirical "death notice" announcing the death of DNA's helical structure. The notecard was intended as a prank for their colleague Maurice Wilkins (1916-2004), who argued that both the A and B forms of DNA were helical despite the lack of evidence to support this claim.

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Credit line
  • Courtesy of Science History Institute

Institutional location

Department
Collection
Series arrangement
  • Series V: Rosalind E. Franklin papers, 1934-1959 (bulk 1950s)
  • Sub-series 5: Papers and other works, 1945-1959
Physical container
  • Box 10, Folder 4

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Cite as

Franklin, Rosalind. “Mock D.N.A. Helix Funeral Invitation,” July 18, 1952. History of Molecular Biology Collection, Box 10, Folder 4. Science History Institute. Philadelphia. https://digital.sciencehistory.org/works/j8nmuvy.

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