Origins of Molecular Biology
The application of physics and chemistry to biological problems led to the development of molecular biology. Not all biology that concerns molecules falls into the category that is labelled "molecular biology". Molecular biology is particularly concerned with the flow and consequences of biological information at the level of genes and proteins. The discovery of the DNA double helix made clear that genes are functionally defined parts of DNA molecules and that there must be a way for cells to make use of their DNA genes in order to make proteins.
Linus Pauling was a chemist who was very influential in developing an understanding of the structure of biological molecules. In 1951, Pauling published the structure of the alpha helix, a fundamentally important structural component of proteins. Early in 1953 Pauling published an incorrect triple helix model of DNA. Both Crick, and particularly Watson, thought that they were racing against Pauling to discover the structure of DNA.
Max Delbrück was a physicist who recognized some of the biological implications of quantum physics. Delbruck's thinking about the physical basis of life stimulated Erwin Schrödinger to write the highly influential book, What Is Life? Schrödinger's book was an important influence on Francis Crick, James D. Watson, and Maurice Wilkins who won a Nobel prize in Medicine for the discovery of the DNA double helix. Delbruck's efforts to promote the "Phage Group" (exploring genetics by way of the viruses that infect bacteria) was important in the early development of molecular biology in general and the development of Watson's scientific interests in particular.
Read more about this topic: Molecular Structure Of Nucleic Acids: A Structure For Deoxyribose Nucleic Acid
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“Grown onto every inch of plate, except
Where the hinges let it move, were living things,
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—Howard Moss (b. 1922)
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