Francis Crick, a renowned British biophysicist, biologist, and molecular biologist, was born with a passion for the natural sciences, particularly physics, chemistry, and mathematics. He attended Northampton Grammar School and later Mill Hill School in London, where his interests were further nurtured. Crick then went on to study physics at University College London, graduating in 1937 and pursuing his doctoral studies.
However, his academic pursuits were initially disrupted by the outbreak of World War II in 1939. Crick continued to work for the British Admiralty as a scientist, primarily focusing on the development of magnetic and acoustic mines. During this time, he married Ruth Doreen Dodd and had a son, Michael Crick, before the couple divorced in 1947.
Following the war, Crick remained in the Navy for another two years, during which he read Erwin Schrödinger's book "What is life? The physical aspects of Living Cell". This reading sparked his enthusiasm for the connection between physics and biology, leading him to leave the Navy and begin studying biology in 1947.
Crick initially worked at the Strangeways Research Laboratory in Cambridge, before moving to the Cavendish Laboratory in 1949. He married Odile Speed and had two daughters, Gabrielle and Jacqueline Crick. In 1952, Crick met James Watson, a young American biologist, at the Cavendish Laboratory, and the two developed a close collaboration.
Their research focused on the structure and function of the DNA molecule, and with the help of Rosalind Franklin and Maurice Wilkins, they created the "Watson-Crick model" in 1953. This model revealed that DNA consists of two strands wound around each other, forming a double helix, with bases arranged in pairs.
Crick and Watson published their findings in the article "The molecular structure of nucleic acids" in 1953, and their work revolutionized the field of molecular biology. They received the Nobel Prize in Medicine and Physiology in 1962, along with Maurice Wilkins, but Rosalind Franklin, whose work provided the scientific basis, did not receive the award.
Crick continued to work at the Cavendish Laboratory and later became director of the Molecular Biology Institute at Cambridge University and associate professor at the Salk Institute. He wrote several popular science books, including "Of Molecules and Men" and "Life itself: Its Origin and Nature", in which he explored the origin of life on earth and the possibility of extraterrestrial life.
In his later years, Crick focused on neurobiology and consciousness research, publishing several papers and books on the subject, including "What the soul really is. The scientific study of consciousness". He died of colon cancer on July 29, 2004, at the age of 88, leaving behind a legacy of groundbreaking scientific discoveries and contributions to our understanding of the natural world.
