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Highlights from the Seymour Benzer papers: The correspondence with Francis Crick (1955-2004)

Photo ID 10.24-187

Seymour Benzer learned about the discovery of the double-helix structure of DNA from Francis Crick's collaborator, James Watson, at a lecture at Cold Spring Harbor in 1953. His correspondence with Crick starts two years later, in 1955, when Crick expressed interest in Benzer's work on the fine structure of the gene. Benzer worked with Crick at the Cavendish Laboratory in Cambridge in 1957-58, and the correspondence over the next few years points to a close collaboration between the two men. The letters of 1960-1962 are especially noteworthy with discussion of each other's findings, honest comments on drafts of each other's papers, and also, some indications that the relationship was not always so smooth. Benzer's practical mapping techniques and his success in showing the physical nature of the gene helped Crick's more theoretical orientation and contributed to his fundamental work in understanding the genetic code in the 1960's. In addition, Benzer's papers provide detailed information on the formation of the Salk Institute, in which both men were involved. Posted 05-07-2009