Maurice Wilkins

Maurice Wilkins (15 December 1916 – 5 October 2004) was a New Zealand-born British physicist and molecular biologist, and Nobel laureate whose research contributed to the scientific understanding of DNA.

Early life and education

Wilkins was born in Pongaroa, New Zealand, and moved to England with his family when he was six years old. He studied physics at St John's College, Cambridge, and later worked on the Manhattan Project during World War II.

Career and research

After the war, Wilkins turned to biology, working at the Medical Research Council (MRC) in London. There, he began studying the structure of DNA, using X-ray crystallography to create images of the molecule.

In 1953, Wilkins, along with James Watson and Francis Crick, discovered the double helix structure of DNA, a breakthrough that would revolutionize biology and medicine. For this discovery, the trio was awarded the Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine in 1962.

Later life and death

Wilkins continued his research at the MRC until his retirement in 1981. He died in 2004, leaving behind a significant legacy in the field of molecular biology.

See also

• List of Nobel laureates in Physiology or Medicine
• History of molecular biology

External links

• Nobel Prize Biography