DNA Pioneer James Watson, Co-Discoverer of Double Helix, Dies
▼ Summary
– James Watson, co-discoverer of DNA’s double-helix structure and initiator of the Human Genome Project, has died at age 97.
– Watson and Francis Crick discovered DNA’s structure in 1953 using Rosalind Franklin’s X-ray images, particularly Photo 51, which was shared without her knowledge.
– Watson faced lasting criticism for his treatment of Franklin, including disparaging remarks about her intelligence and appearance in his memoir.
The scientific world mourns the passing of James Dewey Watson, the Nobel laureate who fundamentally reshaped biology by co-discovering DNA’s double-helix structure. Watson died at age 97 in a hospice located in East Northport, New York, as confirmed by his son Duncan and Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory. His death followed a recent hospitalization for an infection, closing a chapter on one of modern science’s most brilliant yet controversial figures.
In 1953, while working at England’s Cavendish Laboratory alongside Francis Crick, the then 25-year-old Watson deciphered the molecular architecture of deoxyribonucleic acid. This breakthrough revealed the now-iconic twisted-ladder formation that encodes genetic information for all living organisms. Their landmark achievement, however, rested heavily on the foundational work of chemist and crystallographer Rosalind Franklin from King’s College London. Franklin’s X-ray diffraction images, especially the critical Photo 51, provided the essential data that enabled Watson and Crick to build their accurate model. A significant ethical shadow was cast over the discovery, as this pivotal image was shared with Watson and Crick by Franklin’s colleague Maurice Wilkins without her knowledge or consent.
The 1962 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine was jointly awarded to Watson, Crick, and Wilkins for their work on nucleic acid structure. Franklin’s crucial contributions went unrecognized by the Nobel committee, partly because she had tragically died of ovarian cancer in 1958, and the prize cannot be awarded posthumously. The scientific community has long expressed disapproval regarding how Franklin was treated. Watson, in his own memoir and public statements over the years, repeatedly made disparaging remarks about Franklin’s intelligence and physical appearance, cementing a complex and troubling aspect of his legacy.
(Source: Ars Technica)