James Watson dead: Co-discoverer of DNA’s double helix passes at 97

James Watson dead: Co-discoverer of DNA’s double helix dies at 97

American scientist James Watson, who shared a Nobel Prize for helping discover the double-helix shape of the DNA molecule, has died age 97

Celebrated scientist James Watson, who shared a Nobel Prize for his groundbreaking DNA discovery, has died at the age of 97.

The American’s co-unearthing of the double helix structure of DNA in 1953 helped light the long fuse on a revolution in medicine, crimefighting, genealogy and ethics. The death of Watson was confirmed by Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory, where he worked and researched for decades.

The DNA breakthrough – made when the Chicago-born Watson was just 24 – turned him into a respected figure in the world of science for decades. But near the end of his life, he faced condemnation and professional censure for offensive remarks, including saying Black people are less intelligent than white people.

Watson shared a 1962 Nobel Prize with Francis Crick and Maurice Wilkins for discovering that deoxyribonucleic acid, or DNA, is a double helix, consisting of two strands that coil around each other to create what resembles a long, gently twisting ladder.

That realisation was a breakthrough. It instantly suggested how hereditary information is stored and how cells duplicate their DNA when they divide. The duplication begins with the two strands of DNA pulling apart like a zipper.

Even among non-scientists, the double helix would become an instantly recognised symbol of science, showing up in such places as the work of Salvador Dali and a British postage stamp.

The discovery helped open the door to more recent developments such as tinkering with the genetic makeup of living things, treating disease by inserting genes into patients, identifying human remains and criminal suspects from DNA samples, and tracing family trees.

But it has also raised a host of ethical questions, such as whether we should be altering the body’s blueprint for cosmetic reasons or in a way that is transmitted to a person’s offspring. “Francis Crick and I made the discovery of the century, that was pretty clear,” Watson once said. He later wrote: “There was no way we could have foreseen the explosive impact of the double helix on science and society.”

Watson never made another lab finding that big. But in the decades that followed, he wrote influential textbooks and a best-selling memoir, and helped guide the project to map the human genome. He picked out bright young scientists and helped them. And he used his prestige and contacts to influence science policy.

His initial motivation for supporting the gene project was personal: His son Rufus had been hospitalised with a possible diagnosis of schizophrenia, and Watson figured that knowing the complete makeup of DNA would be crucial for understanding that disease – maybe in time to help his son.

He gained unwelcome attention in 2007, when the Sunday Times quoted him as saying he was “inherently gloomy about the prospect of Africa” because “all our social policies are based on the fact that their intelligence is the same as ours – where all the testing says not really.” He said that while he hopes everyone is equal, “people who have to deal with black employees find this is not true.”