The parasympathetic nervous system activates the relaxation, or rest-and-digest, response. Roughly the opposite of the fight-or-flight response of the sympathetic nervous system, the relaxation response involves restoration of energy reserves and other peace time functions, such as repair and reproduction.
On this day in 1953, Cambridge University scientists James D. Watson and Frances H.C. Crick announce that they have determined the double-helix structure of DNA, the molecule containing human genes.hough DNAâshort for deoxyribonucleic acidâwas discovered in 1869, its crucial role in determining genetic inheritance wasnât demonstrated until 1943. In the early 1950s, Watson and Crick were only two of many scientists working on figuring out the structure of DNA.
Franklin's data on the shape of the DNA molecule revealed its structure of the double helix; in a great controversy, Watson and Crick scooped Franklin's information and, using Chargaff's rules, cracked the DNA structure code. Copyright Â© 2007-2013 DNA-Structure.com. All rights reserved.hile Miescher found DNA, it wasn't until 84 years later, in the early 1950s, that scientists recognized it as genetic material. Prior to that, everyone thought DNA, with its four bases, was too simple to be the genetic material.