While the discovery of DNA is often attributed to a single individual, it's more accurate to say it was a collaborative effort. Here are the four scientists who played crucial roles:

1. James Watson and Francis Crick: They are widely recognized for determining the double helix structure of DNA in 1953, using X-ray diffraction data from Rosalind Franklin and Maurice Wilkins. Their work revolutionized our understanding of genetics.

2. Rosalind Franklin: Her X-ray diffraction images, particularly Photo 51, provided crucial evidence for the double helix structure. Franklin's contributions were initially overlooked, but her work is now recognized as essential to the discovery.

3. Maurice Wilkins: He worked alongside Franklin at King's College, London, and provided Watson and Crick with crucial data. He shared the 1962 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine with Watson and Crick.

It's important to note that these scientists were not the only ones involved in the discovery of DNA. Many other researchers made significant contributions, including Linus Pauling, Erwin Chargaff, and Oswald Avery.