Rosalind Franklin — "It's important to be thorough in one's experiments. Hasty conclusions can be mis…"
It's important to be thorough in one's experiments. Hasty conclusions can be misleading.
Get This Quote & Author's Image Illustrated On:
Click any product to generate a realistic preview. Up to 3 at a time.
* Initial load can take up to 90 seconds — revising the preview in another color is nearly instant.
Kitchen
Apparel
Other
More from Rosalind Franklin
"There are two forms of DNA, crystalline and paracrystalline, and they give different X-ray patterns."
"The most important thing is to have an open mind and to be willing to follow the evidence wherever it leads."
"It's a pity that scientific recognition often comes with so much struggle and politics."
"You look at science (or at least talk of it) as some sort of demoralising invention of man, something apart from real life, and which must be cautiously guarded and kept separate from everyday existen…"
"I don't mind being accused of being too cautious. I prefer to be right."
Verification
Unverifiable
Found in 1 providers: grok
1 source checked
Understanding this quote
What it means
Careful, methodical work in science demands patience and rigor. Rushing to conclusions before gathering sufficient evidence leads to errors that can mislead entire fields. True understanding requires exhaustive testing, repetition, and scrutiny of data before any claim is made. Speed without accuracy is worse than no answer at all.
Relevance to Rosalind Franklin
Franklin's meticulous X-ray crystallography of DNA fibers produced Photo 51, the sharpest diffraction image of its time. Her insistence on gathering more data before declaring DNA's structure frustrated colleagues but reflected her scientific integrity. Watson and Crick's rushed use of her data, without her knowledge, led to their premature Nobel-winning conclusion.
The era
The 1950s scientific race to decode DNA was intensely competitive, with multiple labs under pressure to publish first. Cold War funding, male-dominated institutions, and academic rivalry rewarded speed over thoroughness. Franklin's measured approach clashed with this culture, ultimately costing her credit for one of biology's greatest discoveries.
AI-generated insights based on extensive research and information for context. Factual errors? Email [email protected].