who discovered the double helix

The double helix structure of DNA was discovered in 1953 primarily by James Watson and Francis Crick, with significant contributions from Maurice Wilkins and Rosalind Franklin. Franklin's X-ray diffraction images, especially "Photo 51," provided crucial evidence that helped Watson and Crick deduce the double helix shape. Watson, Crick, and Wilkins received the Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine in 1962 for this discovery, although Franklin was not awarded as she had passed away earlier. The understanding of the double helix was pivotal in explaining how genetic information is stored and transmitted in living organisms.