James D. Watson

High school (ages 12+)
Science & Technology

Name:

Date:

Step 1 · Read the article

Open the article and read it at the level above. Then answer the questions below in your own words.

https://smallwhale.org/articles/james-d-watson

Write what each word means, using the article.

Do not copy the article. Write two things you learned, the way you would explain them to a friend.

Answers below are taken from the article’s stored facts, so they match what the student read.

1. When was James D. Watson born?April 6, 1928
2. Where was James D. Watson born?Chicago, Illinois, USA
3. Who is James D. Watson?James D. Watson is a scientist who helped discover the shape of DNA, the molecule that carries our genetic information.
4. What did Watson discover about DNA?Watson showed that DNA is a double helix, a twisted ladder made of base pairs that stores and copies genetic data.

Double Helix: The characteristic spiral staircase-like structure of DNA, composed of two polynucleotide strands wound around each other.
X-ray Diffraction: A scientific technique used to determine the atomic and molecular structure of a crystal by analyzing the pattern of X-rays scattered by it.
Chargaff's Rules: The observation that in any sample of double-stranded DNA, the amount of adenine equals the amount of thymine, and the amount of guanine equals the amount of cytosine.
Molecular Biology: A subfield of biology that studies the molecular basis of biological activity between cells, including interactions between DNA, RNA, and proteins.