LOS ANGELES, July 29 (AFP) - British Nobel prize winner Francis Crick, who with James Watson discovered the double helix shape of DNA, has died at the age of 88, associates said Thursday.
The British-born scientist, who won the Nobel prize in 1962 for medicine, passed away at a hospital Wednesday in San Diego, California, where he had been battling colon cancer.
"Francis Crick will be remembered as one of the most brilliant and influential scientists of all time," said Richard Murphy, the president and chief executive officer of the Salk Institute where Crick previously worked.
On April 25 1953, Crick and Watson of the United States published in the British journal Nature their model of the structure of deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA), an intriguing molecule found in the nucleus of cells.
They described a double helix, joined together by rungs comprising pairs of four chemicals, and humbly suggested it could be the means for copying genetic material.
The implication was stunning: DNA was nothing less than the inherited template for creating and sustaining life.
The impact of their discovery is recognized by many as one of the most significant of the 20th century and affects practically every scientific discipline in the life sciences, according to the Salk Institute.
"He will be missed as a gentleman, a role model, and a person who has contributed so much to our understanding of biology and the health of mankind. For those of us privileged to know him at Salk, he will also be remembered as a dear friend," Murphy added.
The highly regarded scientist was also praised in his home country.
"We are all greatly saddened to learn of the death of Francis Crick, who was known worldwide for his contribution to discovering the structure of DNA, which earned him a share of a Nobel prize in 1962," the president of Britain`s Royal Society, Lord May, said in a statement issued in London.
Born in Northampton, England, on June 8, 1916, Crick showed an early curiosity for science, before going on to study at University College in London and at Cambridge University.
Crick moved to the United States in the mid-1970s, becoming a resident of La Jolla, California.
DNA research timeline:
LOS ANGELES, July 29 (AFP) - Major events in the history of DNA research whose structure was finally uncovered by Francis Crick, a British scientist who has died aged 88.
1869: Swiss scientist Friedrich Miescher discovers that the nuclei of pus cells contain an acidic substance, which he names "nuclein." He later finds that nuclein comprises a protein and a sugar and phosphate compound to which the name nucleic acid -- subsequently changed to deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA) -- is given.
1928: Pneumonia vaccine researcher Frederick Griffith of Britain finds that bacteria have a substance that causes heritable changes. He calls the phenomenon "transformation."
1944: Canadian-US scientist Oswald Avery and others establish that the substance causing Griffith`s "transformation" was DNA and suggest DNA may carry genetic information.
1949: Austrian-born US biochemist Erwin Chargaff gains insights into the pairing of four chemicals (adenine, thymine, cytosine and guanine) that make up the base composition of DNA.
1951-52: Groundbreaking technical work by British biologist Rosalind Franklin who takes X-ray images of DNA.
1953: The double helix structure of DNA is described by Francis Crick of Britain and James Watson of the United States. They and another British scientist, X-ray imager Maurice Wilkins, win the 1962 Nobel Prize for Medicine for their work.
1955-61: Further work in Britain and the United States establishes DNA`s role in making proteins and how the molecule self-replicates and lays the foundation for gene sequencing
1972: Dawn of genetic engineering with the creation of first recombinant DNA molecules.
1976: Founding of Genentech, the world`s first gene-engineering company.
1981: Scientists at Ohio University produce the first transgenic animals by transferring genes from other animals into mice. Three research teams discover human cancer genes.
1982: First gene-engineered drug (human insulin)
1984: DNA fingerprinting is developed.
1990: First gene therapy. Performed successfully on a four-year-old American girl suffering from an immune disorder.
1994: First breast cancer gene is discovered.
1996: Birth of Dolly the Sheep, the world`s first cloned mammal. Discovery of first gene associated with Parkinson`s disease.
1998: Discovery that embryonic stem cells can be used to regenerate tissue.
2000: Publication of rough draft of the human genome. Other organisms whose genetic code has been sequenced include the mouse, the fruitfly, rice and bacteria and viruses including HIV, anthrax and the plague.
2001: First gene linked to language is found.
2002: Claims, so far unsubstantiated, by alien-worshipping sect called the Raelians to have created the first cloned humans.
2003: Completed draft of the human genome is published.