Scientific Credit Mock Trial

Case File: Franklin v. Watson & Crick (1962 Nobel Proceedings)

Facilitation Notes

Divide the class into three groups. Provide each group with their specific "Confidential Briefing." Give them 10 minutes to review their facts and 15 minutes to conduct the "hearing." The Nobel Committee acts as both the jury and the questioning body.

Defense: Watson & Crick

CAVENDISH LABS

Our Objective

Defend your discovery. Argue that while Franklin provided data, you provided the intellectual synthesis (the model) that explained life itself.

Key Facts to Use

Franklin’s data was "stuck"—she hadn't published a model yet.
Maurice Wilkins (Franklin's supervisor) showed you the photo; you didn't steal it from her desk.
Model-building is the true "discovery"; data collection is just technical work.
You published first in Nature (1953).

Argument Points

Science is collaborative and relies on shared info.
The double helix theory was entirely yours.
Franklin actually opposed the idea of a helix initially.

Plaintiff: Team Franklin

KING'S COLLEGE LONDON

Our Objective

Argue for credit. Demonstrate that without "Photo 51," Watson and Crick were guessing. You are the "Mother of the Helix."

Key Facts to Use

Photo 51 provided the exact measurements they used.
Watson admitted in his book The Double Helix that they used your data without permission.
You were a world-class X-ray crystallographer; they were hobbyists in that field.
Gender bias prevented you from being taken seriously in 1953.

Argument Points

Experimental evidence is the bedrock of science.
The "discovery" was a group effort, but you were erased.
The ethics of "stealing" findings violates scientific integrity.

The Judges: Nobel Committee

ROYAL SWEDISH ACADEMY

Our Objective

Moderate the debate. You must decide who to award the 1962 Nobel Prize in Medicine. You have strict rules to follow.

The Rules (Historical)

A single Nobel Prize can be shared by no more than three people.
Prizes are typically not awarded posthumously (Franklin died in 1958; it is now 1962).
You must distinguish between "Technical Contribution" and "Conceptual Discovery."

Questions to Ask the Teams

"To Watson/Crick: Would you have found the helix without Photo 51?"
"To Team Franklin: If she had the data, why didn't she build the model first?"
"To Both: Is science about individual genius or collective effort?"
"To Both: How should we treat scientific credit when one scientist is deceased?"

Final Deliberation

You must ultimately choose only 3 names. Will you choose Watson, Crick, and Wilkins? Or will you break tradition and include Franklin?

Molecular Mystery

Double Helix Trial Worksheet

Scientific Credit Role Cards

DNA Discovery Slides

Similar Lessons

Plant Power

Priyadarshini Bharath

Animal Systems Mastery

Priyadarshini Bharath

Plant Power Mastery

Priyadarshini Bharath

The Speed of Addiction

Mind and Molecules

Anxiety Blueprint

Perception and Chemicals

Brain Freeze Stress Lesson

Mission Finale

Marina Trarbach

Mouvements Rectilignes

Marina Trarbach

Forces et Équilibre

Marina Trarbach

Héritage de Galilée

Marina Trarbach

Molecular Switches

The Stressed Brain

Stress Circuitry

Wild Harvest

Sarah Pierce

Photosynthesis Powerhouse

Josue Diaz Carcamo

Circuit Showdown

dquintiliani

Digital Detective

Anaïs (A)