The Primary Information Source Used by Watson and Crick to Determine

Question

The primary information source used by Watson and Crick to determine the structure of DNA was
A) electron micrographs of individual DNA molecules.
B) light micrographs of bacteriophage particles.
C) light micrographs of individual bacterial chromosomes.
D) nuclear magnetic resonance analysis of DNA.
E) X-ray crystallography of double-stranded DNA.

Accepted Answer

Watson and Crick used X-ray crystallography of double-stranded DNA, specifically the work of Rosalind Franklin and Maurice Wilkins, to determine the structure of DNA. They used this information, along with their own model building and biochemical data, to propose the now-famous double helix model of DNA.