Reposted by Tomasz Steifer
Watson and Crick elucidated the structure of DNA. Stop saying that they discovered DNA! This was done by another guy you probably haven't heard of! And therein lies a story. academic.oup.com/genetics/art...
academic.oup.com
Before Watson and Crick in 1953 Came Friedrich Miescher in 1869
Abstract. The story of genetics typically omits the original discovery of the molecular nature of DNA: Friedrich Miescher's 1869 discovery of the substance
![official museum photo of the object on white background: "A large spider-with an endearing face-looms over the shoulder of the jacket, where it hovers menacingly over an abandoned go board. The range of tonalities centers on indigo, white, black, and greyish-brown, with red accents on the fan; this color palette visually unites the work, creating parallels between the spider's eyes and the go pieces."
“The oversized spider hovering over the go board alludes to Tsuchigumo ("Earth Spider"), the Noh drama that tells the story of the warrior Minamoto Yorimitsu fighting off the monstrous earth spider, who is disguised as a monk.”
“The jacket tells a story from the life of Minamoto no Yorimitsu (948–1021), a warrior-hero. The story is as follows: Yorimitsu was sick, and was resting in bed. He was visited by a priest—but the priest was actually a giant spider (tsuchigumo) in disguise! Yorimitsu, being very clever, sees through the disguise, and attacks the spider with his sword, wounding him. Yorimitsu’s four attendants, called the Four Heavenly Kings, were playing a game of go while guarding him, and leapt up to track the spider back to his den.[2]
This narrative was popular in theatrical productions, and there was a song in Noh theatre specifically about tsuchigumo, the intimidating earth spider. The story appears frequently in woodblock prints in the nineteenth century as well. The jacket shows the moment when the go game was abandoned, with tsuchigumo retreating back to his web. So great was the hurried effort to find the spider that the attendants left behind their personal effects, scattering go pieces in their haste.”](https://cdn.bsky.app/img/feed_thumbnail/plain/did:plc:l5pcfqdnvtivhxufycjnvzui/bafkreicfoswuxmlup5sdgdlfk3ap42dt24ik2kpozwi67s27qn5qei7dgi)
