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‘The Beauty of Diagrams’

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20/12/2010

By | From the Collections

Sketch of the DNA double helix by Francis Crick  Wellcome Images No. B0004367

Sketch of the DNA double helix by Francis Crick
Wellcome Images No. B0004367

On 16th December, BBC4 broadcast the most recent episode of their series The Beauty of Diagrams, in which mathematician Marcus du Sautoy explores the stories behind some of the world’s most familiar and influential scientific diagrams.

The latest featured diagram was the DNA double helix – one of the most replicated scientific images of the twentieth century. The programme examined the rich symbolism of the double helix and also featured a sequence shot in the Wellcome Library with Prof du Sautoy examining our early sketch of the double helix from the papers of Francis Crick.

The episode is available for viewers in the UK through the BBC iPlayer, along with the rest of the series – including programmes on Da Vinci’s Vitruvian Man and Florence Nightingale’s ‘Rose Diagram’ – until 30th December.

Ross Macfarlane

Ross Macfarlane is the Research Engagement Officer at the Wellcome Library.

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