DNA and genetics In 1953 James Watson (1928– ) and Francis Crick (1916–2004) determined that the DNA molecule is shaped like a double helix, based on their examination of X-ray crystallographic data obtained by Rosalind Franklin (1920–1958) while working in the laboratory of Maurice Wilkins (1916–2004). This almost coincided with the less-known discovery that DNA is in fact the molecule that carries genetic information. This finding was the result of experiments carried out by Oswald T. Avery (1877–1955) and independently by Alfred Day Hershey (1908–1997) and Martha Cowles Chase (1930– ). Complementing these two discoveries was the deciphering of DNA’s genetic code between 1961 and 1966, which was the work of numerous scientists.