The Discovery of DNA - Essay Example

In other words, it is comprised of double-stranded molecules of nucleic acids. So important was their work that they received a Nobel Peace Prize in 1962. The film fails to depict the fact that all Watson and Crick did was put the pieces of the puzzle together. In reality, the groundwork and foundation were laid decades before the duo existed. Swiss chemist Friedrich Miescher in 1869 discovered DNA. He discovered nuclein (now known as nucleic acid) inside the nuclei of white blood cells. This discovery should have been a landmark in genetic research, but the scientific community at the time did not view it as such. Phoebus Levene, a Russian biochemist, picked up where Miescher left off. An avid researcher who wrote numerous papers on biochemistry, Levene not only discovered the carbohydrate in RNA but also the correct way of joining RNA and DNA. Erwin Chargaff in later years stretched Levene’s work. He identified differences in DNA among different species. In conclusion, a handful of scientists paved the way for Watson and Crick.