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Codebreakers: Makers of Modern Genetics

'Heredity Chart VI', published for the Eugenics Society by George Philip & Son Ltd. Copyright Galton Institute, London. Credit: Wellcome Library, London

An online research resource for the history of genetics, including digitised books and archives from the Wellcome Library and partner institutions.

See the full list of digitised archives

The papers of some of the leading figures in the genetics revolution of the 20th century have been digitised for this online research resource.

The Alan Coulson papers

Alan Coulson helped to establish techniques that laid the foundations for the science of genomics.

Francis Galton was an accomplished figure in late 19th century science. Known chiefly for his work on heredity and eugenics, he also made important contributions to fields such as forensics and statistical methods.

The Francis Crick papers

By discovering (with James Watson) the double helix of DNA, and helping to crack its code, Francis Crick laid the foundations of modern molecular biology.

The Sydney Brenner papers

With Francis Crick, Sydney Brenner laid much of the groundwork for our understanding of how cells read the genetic code.

The Rosalind Franklin papers

Rosalind Franklin was a brilliant X-ray crystallographer whose photograph of a fibre of DNA was critical to James Watson and Francis Crick's discovery of the double helix.

The James Watson papers

James Watson combined his expertise in genetics with Francis Crick's understanding of complex molecular structures to crack the biggest biological problem of the 20th century: the structure of DNA.

The Maurice Wilkins and Medical Research Council Biophysics Unit archive

Maurice Wilkins began the studies on the crystalline structure of DNA that ultimately led to the discovery of the double helix by James Watson and Francis Crick.

History of Genetics Timeline

Browse by subject

Digitised archives

The papers of twenty two scientists and organisations have been digitised for this research resource. Find out which archives are available online.

Genetics in context

Science writer Georgina Ferry explores how the men and women of science shaped our understanding of modern genetics.

From the blog

Codebreakers: makers of modern genetics

1 March 2013