Double Helix: How an Image Sparked the Discovery of the Secret of Life
Double Helix: How an Image Sparked the Discovery of the Secret of Life
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Compass Point
Just the Series: Captured Science History   

Series and Publisher: Captured Science History   

Annotation: Examines how Rosalind Franklin's Photo 51 changed the way scientists viewed life itself.
Genre: [Biology]
 
Reviews: 2
Catalog Number: #144076
Format: Library Binding
Common Core/STEAM: STEAM STEAM Common Core Common Core
Publisher: Compass Point
Copyright Date: 2018
Edition Date: 2018 Release Date: 08/01/17
Pages: 64 pages
ISBN: 0-7565-5642-2
ISBN 13: 978-0-7565-5642-6
Dewey: 572.8
LCCN: 2017010278
Dimensions: 27 cm.
Language: English
Reviews:
ALA Booklist (Mon Jan 01 00:00:00 CST 2018)

Zeroing in on individual pictures that fundamentally affected scientists' understanding of the universe, these titles in the Captured Science History series nicely balance explanations of historical context, key players, and the science concepts at work in each historic image. Double Helix centers around Rosalind Franklin's X-ray photo of a DNA fiber, which inspired Watson and Crick's double-helix DNA model. The author commendably explains both the importance of Franklin's contribution and Watson and Crick's arguably unethical use of her work. Large-format photos and diagrams on nearly every page spread help illustrate concepts, and accessible writing offers plenty of multidisciplinary angles, from discussions of each image's historical moment to the larger implications of the discoveries those images led to. A solid, engagingly written STEM series.

Horn Book (Wed Aug 01 00:00:00 CDT 2018)

This Captured History spinoff series examines a photo's impact on scientific discoveries. Smith-Llera examines the contributions of scientist Rosalind Franklin--specifically her x-rays of DNA fiber--which helped scientists Francis Crick and James Watson develop their theories on the structure of human DNA. An engaging and thought-provoking discussion is illustrated with scientific and archival images. Timeline, reading list. Bib., glos., ind.

Reviewing Agencies: - Find Other Reviewed Titles
ALA Booklist (Mon Jan 01 00:00:00 CST 2018)
Horn Book (Wed Aug 01 00:00:00 CDT 2018)
Bibliography Index/Note: Includes bibliographical references (pages 61-63) and index.
Word Count: 8,202
Reading Level: 7.5
Interest Level: 5-9
Accelerated Reader: reading level: 7.5 / points: 1.0 / quiz: 197479 / grade: Middle Grades
Lexile: 1060L
Guided Reading Level: Z
Fountas & Pinnell: Z

To the untrained eye, Photo 51 was simply a grainy black and white image of dark marks scattered in a rough cross shape. But to the eye of a trained scientist, it was a clear portrait of a DNA fiber taken with X-rays. And to young scientists James Watson and Francis Crick, it confirmed their guess of deoxyribonucleic acid's structure. In 1953 the pair was racing toward solving the mystery of DNA's structure before other scientists could beat them to it. They and others believed that finding the simple structure of the DNA molecule would answer a great mystery, how do organisms live, grow, develop, and survive, generation after generation? Photo 51 and subsequent models based on the photo would prove to be the key to unlocking the secret of life.


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