Francis Crick

British molecular biologist, biophysicist, neuroscientist; co-discoverer of the structure of DNA
Person human Q123280
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Francis Crick was born June 8, 1916, in Northampton.[1][2][3][4][5][6][7][8][9][10] He held citizenship in the United Kingdom.[4] His occupations included biologist, geneticist, physicist, neuroscientist, biochemist, and molecular biologist.[4]

He was educated at University College London, Gonville and Caius College, Mill Hill School, and University of Cambridge.[11] His fields included molecular biology, deoxyribonucleic acid, physics, and neuroscience.[12] He was employed by University of Cambridge, Salk Institute for Biological Studies, and New York University Tandon School of Engineering.[11][13]

His awards included Fellow of the Royal Society, Albert Lasker Award for Basic Medical Research, Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine, Order of Merit, Copley Medal, and Royal Medal.[11][14][15][16][17] He was a member of the Royal Society, German Academy of Sciences Leopoldina, French Academy of Sciences, and American Academy of Arts and Sciences.[4] He died July 28, 2004, in La Jolla, and the cause of death was colorectal cancer.[18][1][2][3][4][19][6][9][10][4].

Francis Crick

Summary

Francis Crick is a human[1]. He was born in Northampton[2]. He was born on June 8, 1916[3]. He died in La Jolla[4]. He died on July 28, 2004[5]. He worked as a biologist[6], geneticist[7], physicist[8], neuroscientist[9], and biochemist[10]. He has Wikipedia articles in 30 language editions, a strong signal of global cultural recognition.[11]

Key Facts

  • Francis Crick was born in Northampton[2].
  • Francis Crick passed away in La Jolla[4].
  • Francis Crick died in San Diego[12].
  • Francis Crick was born on June 8, 1916[3].
  • Francis Crick died on July 28, 2004[5].
  • Among Francis Crick's spouses was Odile Crick[13].
  • Francis Crick held citizenship in United Kingdom[14].
  • English was Francis Crick's native language[15].
  • Francis Crick worked as a biologist[6].
  • Francis Crick's professions included geneticist[7].
  • Francis Crick's professions included physicist[8].
  • Francis Crick worked as a neuroscientist[9].
  • Francis Crick worked as a biochemist[10].
  • Francis Crick's professions included molecular biologist[16].
  • Francis Crick's field of work was molecular biology[17].
  • Francis Crick's field of work was deoxyribonucleic acid[18].
  • Francis Crick's field of work was physics[19].
  • Francis Crick's field of work was neuroscience[20].
  • Francis Crick's field of work was biophysics[21].
  • Francis Crick's field of work was genetics[22].
  • Francis Crick was employed by University of Cambridge[23].
  • Francis Crick was employed by Salk Institute for Biological Studies[24].
  • Francis Crick was employed by New York University Tandon School of Engineering[25].
  • Francis Crick's education included a stint at University College London[26].
  • Francis Crick's education included a stint at Gonville and Caius College[27].

Body

Origins and Family

Born in Northampton[2], Francis Crick… he was born on June 8, 1916[3]. English was his native language[15].

Education

Educated at University College London[26], a university college[28], in United Kingdom[29], founded in 1826[30], headquartered in UCL Main Building[31]; Gonville and Caius College[27], a college of the University of Cambridge[32], in United Kingdom[33], founded in 1348[34]; Mill Hill School[35], a school[36], in United Kingdom[37], founded in 1807[38], headquartered in London[39]; University of Cambridge[40], a collegiate university[41], in United Kingdom[42], founded in 1209[43], headquartered in Cambridge[44]; and Northampton School for Boys[45], a secondary school[46], in United Kingdom[47], founded in 2010[48]. Francis Crick's doctoral advisor was Max Perutz[49].

Career and Affiliations

Recorded occupations include biologist[6], geneticist[7], physicist[8], neuroscientist[9], biochemist[10], and molecular biologist[16]. Fields of work include molecular biology[17], a branch of biology[50]; deoxyribonucleic acid[18], a structural class of chemical entities[51]; physics[19], a branch of science[52]; neuroscience[20], an academic discipline[53]; biophysics[21], a branch of biology[54]; and genetics[22], a science[55], founded in 1900[56]. Employers include University of Cambridge[23], a collegiate university[57], in United Kingdom[58], founded in 1209[59], headquartered in Cambridge[60]; Salk Institute for Biological Studies[24], a biological research institute[61], in United States[62], founded in 1960[63], headquartered in Salk Institute for Biological Studies building[64]; and New York University Tandon School of Engineering[25], a university[65], in United States[66], founded in 1854[67].

Recognition

Awards received include Fellow of the Royal Society[68], a fellowship award[69], in United Kingdom[70]; Albert Lasker Award for Basic Medical Research[71]; Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine[72]; Order of Merit[73]; Copley Medal[74]; and Royal Medal[75].

Personal Life

Francis Crick was married to Odile Crick[13]. His religion is recorded as atheism[76].

Death and Burial

Francis Crick died on July 28, 2004[5]. Recorded place of death include La Jolla[4], an unincorporated community[77], in United States[78] and San Diego[12], a city in the United States[79], in United States[80], founded in 1769[81]. The cause of death was colorectal cancer[82].

Works and Contributions

Things named for Francis Crick include 12845 Crick[83] and Francis Crick Institute[84].

Why It Matters

Francis Crick has Wikipedia articles in 30 language editions, a strong signal of global cultural recognition.[11] He is known by 48 alternative names across languages and contexts.[85]

He has been cited as an influence by Peter A. Lawrence[86], a zoologist[87], b. 1941[88], awarded the Fellow of the Royal Society[89], specialised in entomology[90]; Charles F. Stevens[91], a neuroscientist[92], 1934–2022[93], of United States[94], awarded the NAS Award for Scientific Reviewing[95], specialised in neuroscience[96]; Alexander Rich[97], a molecular biologist[98], 1924–2015[99], of United States[100], awarded the William Procter Prize for Scientific Achievement[101], specialised in biophysics[102]; and Patricia Churchland[103], a philosopher[104], b. 1943[105], of Canada[106], awarded the MacArthur Fellows Program[107], specialised in philosophy of mind[108].

He is credited with the discovery of nucleic acid double helix[109], a macromolecular conformation[110]. Works attributed to him include Molecular Structure of Nucleic Acids: A Structure for Deoxyribose Nucleic Acid[111], a scholarly article[112], written by James Watson[113]. Entities named for him include 12845 Crick[83] and Francis Crick Institute[84].

FAQs

Where was Francis Crick born?

Francis Crick was born in Northampton[2].

Where did Francis Crick die?

Francis Crick passed away in La Jolla[4].

Who was Francis Crick married to?

Francis Crick's spouses include Odile Crick[13].

What did Francis Crick do for work?

Francis Crick worked as biologist[6], geneticist[7], physicist[8], neuroscientist[9], and biochemist[10].

Where did Francis Crick go to school?

Francis Crick was educated at University College London[26], Gonville and Caius College[27], Mill Hill School[35], and University of Cambridge[40].

What awards did Francis Crick receive?

Honors received include Fellow of the Royal Society[68], Albert Lasker Award for Basic Medical Research[71], Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine[72], and Order of Merit[73].

Who did Francis Crick influence?

Francis Crick has been cited as an influence by Peter A. Lawrence[86], Charles F. Stevens[91], Alexander Rich[97], and Patricia Churchland[103].

What did Francis Crick discover?

Francis Crick is credited as discoverer of nucleic acid double helix[109].

References

Programmatic citations — every numbered marker resolves to a verifiable graph row below.

Direct Wikidata claims

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  2. [85] . Wikidata aliases. wikidata.org.

📑 Cite this page

Use these citations when quoting this entity in research, articles, AI prompts, or wherever provenance matters. We aggregate Wikidata + Wikipedia + authoritative open-data sources; the stitched, scored, cross-referenced view is what 4ort.xyz contributes.

APA 4ort.xyz Knowledge Graph. (2026). Francis Crick. Retrieved April 10, 2026, from https://4ort.xyz/entity/francis-crick
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BibTeX @misc{4ortxyz_francis-crick_2026, author = {{4ort.xyz Knowledge Graph}}, title = {{Francis Crick}}, year = {2026}, url = {https://4ort.xyz/entity/francis-crick}, note = {Accessed: 2026-04-10}}
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Edit History

Rolling log of changes to this entity's Wikidata record. Values shown reflect the current state of each edited property — follow the history link to see the precise diff for any edit.

  1. 18d ago · Printstream · 2026-06-25 view diff on Wikidata ↗
    P14536 385435
    "/* wbcreateclaim-create:1| */ [[Property:P14536]]: 385435, #quickstatements; #temporary_batch_1782398664614"
  2. 4w ago · Jindřich Rubeš · 2026-06-12 view diff on Wikidata ↗
    Svkkl authority id p0002242-Crick-Francis-19162004
    "/* wbcreateclaim-create:1| */ [[Property:P9322]]: p0002242-Crick-Francis-19162004, [[:toollabs:quickstatements/#/batch/259492|batch #259492]]"
  3. 9w ago · Dodro · 2026-05-07 view diff on Wikidata ↗
    Image needs reharvest
    Enciclopedia galega universal id 107499
    Image last checked license
    Image purged license
    + 2 other properties edited (see Wikidata diff for full list)
    "/* wbsetclaim-create:2||1 */ [[Property:P13613]]: 107499"
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