In 1953, Watson and Crick published a paper: A Structure for Deoxyribose Nucleic Acid. Based on available data from X-ray diffraction patterns and 3D conceptualization through model building, Watson and Crick proposed that DNA is a double helix - a twisted ladder - with two phosphate-based backbones and "runged" nucleotides that pair. Their paper ended with this comment:
It has not escaped our notice that the specific pairing we have postulated immediately suggests a possible copying mechanism for the genetic material.
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James Watson and Francis Crick explain how they solved the structure of DNA. Erwin Chargaff explain how he measured the levels of each of the four nitrogenous bases.
James Watson and Francis Crick solved the structure of DNA. Other scientists, like Rosalind Franklin and Maurice Wilkins, also contributed to this discovery.