Who Was James Watson? The Nobel Prize-Winning Man Who Co-Discovered DNA’s Structure, Dead At 97

James Watson, the American scientist who co-discovered the double-helix structure of DNA and became one of the most recognisable names in modern biology, has died at the age of 97.

Born in Chicago, Watson was just 24 when he made the scientific breakthrough that would define his legacy. In 1962, he shared the Nobel Prize with Francis Crick and Maurice Wilkins for identifying that deoxyribonucleic acid, or DNA, is shaped as a double helix, two strands coiling around each other like a long, gently twisting ladder.

The discovery revealed how genetic information is stored and how cells replicate during division, a process that begins when the DNA strands separate like a zipper. According to Sky News, Watson later reflected on the significance of the finding, saying, “There was no way we could have foreseen the explosive impact of the double helix on science and society.”

The double helix quickly became an emblem of scientific progress, appearing not only in academic circles but also in popular culture, even featuring in artwork by Salvador Dali and on a British postage stamp. It paved the way for modern advances such as genetic engineering, gene therapy, DNA identification, and the mapping of family histories. At the same time, it provoked ethical debates about altering genetic material, including for cosmetic purposes or in ways that could be passed on to future generations.

Though Watson never made another laboratory discovery of similar magnitude, he remained influential for decades. He wrote bestselling scientific textbooks and a memoir, supported the Human Genome Project, mentored young researchers and used his high profile to shape scientific policy.

In later years, Watson became a deeply divisive figure. In 2007, he came under fire after The Sunday Times Magazine quoted him 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 added that while he hopes everyone is equal, “people who have to deal with black employees find this is not true”.

He apologised, but was suspended from his role as chancellor of Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory in New York and stepped down a week later, ending nearly four decades in leadership positions there. More than 10 years later, a 2019 television documentary revealed that he still held the same beliefs.

Dr Francis Collins, director of the National Institutes of Health, said in 2019 that Watson had shown “a regrettable tendency toward inflammatory and offensive remarks, especially late in his career”. Dr Collins added, “His outbursts, particularly when they reflected on race, were both profoundly misguided and deeply hurtful,” noting, “I only wish that Jim's views on society and humanity could have matched his brilliant scientific insights.”

Watson leaves behind a legacy marked both by groundbreaking scientific achievement and by controversy that overshadowed his later years.