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Obituary

Francis Crick (1916–2004)

Nature volume 430, pages 845–847 (2004)Cite this article

Alexander Rich and Charles F. Stevens, respectively an early collaborator of Crick's and a long-standing colleague at the Salk Institute, describe the life and work of one of the great thinkers of twentieth-century biology.

Francis Crick, who died on 28 July at the age of 88, was trained as a physicist but became arguably the most influential biologist of the twentieth century. His great curiosity was coupled to highly original thinking; through force of intellect he obtained answers to many fundamental problems. In seminars he often demanded clarity from speakers, thereby generating some tension. However, he had a lively sense of humour, sharp but never malicious. Crick had no PhD students and only a rare postdoctoral fellow, but nonetheless often worked closely with a collaborator. Above all, he was a very kind and considerate person.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Biology, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, 77 Massachusetts Avenue, Cambridge, 02139-4307, Massachusetts, USA

    Alexander Rich

  2. Molecular Neurobiology Laboratory, Salk Institute, 10010 North Torrey Pines Road, La Jolla, 92037, California, USA

    Charles F. Stevens

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  1. Alexander Rich
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  2. Charles F. Stevens
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Rich, A., Stevens, C. Francis Crick (1916–2004). Nature 430, 845–847 (2004). https://doi.org/10.1038/430845a

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