Michael Pollard
@kmichaelpollard.bsky.social
Assoc. Prof Scripps Research working on how non-biological exposures lead to autoimmunity.
Thank you. Looking forward to your book esp insight into The Double Helix. It had a great influence on my early career choices but I've never come to grips with how simple it made the life of a scientist look. But it sold me on a lifelong career.
November 8, 2025 at 11:47 PM
Thank you. Looking forward to your book esp insight into The Double Helix. It had a great influence on my early career choices but I've never come to grips with how simple it made the life of a scientist look. But it sold me on a lifelong career.
The science behind the structure of DNA was not all Franklin's. To solve the structure she would have needed to make the discoveries made by Crick and Watson. But she was leaving for a new position and not allowed to take DNA with her. It's not as simplistic as your repost implies.
November 8, 2025 at 4:14 AM
The science behind the structure of DNA was not all Franklin's. To solve the structure she would have needed to make the discoveries made by Crick and Watson. But she was leaving for a new position and not allowed to take DNA with her. It's not as simplistic as your repost implies.
I know. I reviewed it on Amazon 20+ years ago. And I thought as you then but more has become known. Such a complex story may never be fully revealed because we will never know her thoughts. But all the science needed was not all her's.
November 8, 2025 at 4:03 AM
I know. I reviewed it on Amazon 20+ years ago. And I thought as you then but more has become known. Such a complex story may never be fully revealed because we will never know her thoughts. But all the science needed was not all her's.
Had lunch there years ago and stood outside the Golden Helix door ... can't find the bl***y pictures.
November 8, 2025 at 2:58 AM
Had lunch there years ago and stood outside the Golden Helix door ... can't find the bl***y pictures.
Then you must know that Franklin could have solved the structure weeks before Watson and Crick and you must also know that much of the data they "stole" was in a shared MRC report. The story is not just Photo 51. What she needed were the contributions of Crick and Watson.
November 8, 2025 at 12:25 AM
Then you must know that Franklin could have solved the structure weeks before Watson and Crick and you must also know that much of the data they "stole" was in a shared MRC report. The story is not just Photo 51. What she needed were the contributions of Crick and Watson.
I suggest reading Life's Greatest Secret: The Race to Crack the Genetic Code by @matthewcobb.bsky.social and Rosalind Franklin: The Dark Lady of DNA by Brenda Maddox. And the last few pages of The Double Helix. And many other books.... too numerous to mention.
November 7, 2025 at 11:31 PM
I suggest reading Life's Greatest Secret: The Race to Crack the Genetic Code by @matthewcobb.bsky.social and Rosalind Franklin: The Dark Lady of DNA by Brenda Maddox. And the last few pages of The Double Helix. And many other books.... too numerous to mention.
If read more widely on the science needed to determine the structure of DNA you will find that is very, very incorrect.
November 7, 2025 at 11:13 PM
If read more widely on the science needed to determine the structure of DNA you will find that is very, very incorrect.
A nuanced take would be nice because there is apparently an opera coming out soon (next year?) that will be rehashing what was a very complex situation....and that's just on Rosalind Franklin and DNA's structure.
November 7, 2025 at 10:59 PM
A nuanced take would be nice because there is apparently an opera coming out soon (next year?) that will be rehashing what was a very complex situation....and that's just on Rosalind Franklin and DNA's structure.
Ordered from Waterstones on Oct 29. Arrived yesterday. The US edition won't arrive from Amazon until the 11th. Guess which one goes to the lab.
November 6, 2025 at 6:36 AM
Ordered from Waterstones on Oct 29. Arrived yesterday. The US edition won't arrive from Amazon until the 11th. Guess which one goes to the lab.
He has a wonderful matter-of-fact way of describing people. His description of Watson and Crick in "I Wish I'd Made You Angry Earlier" is how I imagine them. Very glad you did take that picture.
November 4, 2025 at 5:04 PM
He has a wonderful matter-of-fact way of describing people. His description of Watson and Crick in "I Wish I'd Made You Angry Earlier" is how I imagine them. Very glad you did take that picture.