Honesty and Genuineness

Francis H.C. Crick, 88, co-discoverer of one of the most important scientific findings of the 20th century, the recognition of the double helix structure of DNA as the blueprint of life, died Wednesday at San Diego's Thornton Hospital. He had colon cancer. Crick's powerful intellect and willingness to cross the boundaries of scientific disciplines led him and colleague James D. Watson to understand the "twisted ladder" structure of deoxyribonucleic acid, or DNA, which carries information about heredity. What they learned was that each strand of the double helix could become a template for copying an organism's genes, and that replication is the way that every living cell has been created.

This article appeared in many newspapers. Yet, the whole truth is not revealed about the underhanded ways in which Crick and Watson got their information in the first place and how they conveniently left a brilliant woman out of the story.

In late February 1953, Rosalind Franklin, a 33-year-old physical chemist working in the biophysics unit of King's College in London, wrote in her notebooks that the structure of DNA had two chains. She had already worked out that the molecule had its phosphate groups on the outside and that DNA existed in two forms.

Two weeks later James Watson and Francis Crick, at the Cavendish Laboratory at Cambridge, built their now celebrated model of DNA as a double helix. They did it not only through brilliant intuition and a meeting of compatible minds, but also on the basis of Franklin's unpublished experimental evidence, which had reached them through irregular routes. She did not know that they had seen either her X-ray photograph showing unmistakable evidence of a helical structure, or her precise measurements of the unit cell (the smallest repeating unit) of the DNA crystal.

As Watson was to write candidly, "Rosy, of course, did not directly give us her data. For that matter, no one at King's realized they were in our hands."

This admission says that Crick and Watson stole Dr. Franklin's work and never recognized her contribution to their Nobel Prize. As an educator, author and scientist I understand the desire for fame, fortune and a fabulous future. As one wag said, "I can resist anything but temptation". However, the fact that Watson and Crick, 50 years later, are still getting the credit for discovering the structure of DNA is amazing because the true story is so well known.

+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

We live in a time when a sizzling story is more important than real substance. It is more important to have fame than reality. When Jesus said, "You shall know the truth and the truth shall set you free" He used a term that means truth is "unvarnished reality". So much about our world seems to be based upon fantasy rather than reality.

Politicians openly state that they are going to "spin" their messages and ideas around major themes that are not reality and the news reports the spin as if they didn't know it is not factual.

Even in church circles there is much promotion of fanciful ideas on revival, church growth and the Christian life. In 1983 I wrote a book entitled Rational Christian Thinking and the title was rejected by many of my friends because being rational was seen by them to be contrary to faith. It seems that many prefer "Magical Christian Thinking" and flee from things that are rational, factual and real.

But Jesus created the universe. He is the author of facts, the generator of reality and always opened up the unvarnished truth. Of course, it got Him killed but He never turned to spin rather than truth. Spin sets us up while truth sets us free.

Now that Dr. Crick, who often attacked the veracity of the Bible and Christianity, has met his Maker he may be wishing he had not lied to get the Nobel Prize and lied to turn people away from God. In the end God's truth shall always prevail.