James Watson, co-discoverer of DNA's double-helix shape, dead at 97

Thomson Reuters

· Posted: Nov 07, 2025 4:13 PM EST | Last Updated: 41 minutes ago

James D. Watson, the superb but arguable American biologist whose 1953 find of the operation of DNA, the molecule of heredity, ushered successful the property of genetics and provided the instauration for the biotechnology gyration of the precocious 20th century, has died astatine the property of 97.

His decease was confirmed by Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory connected Long Island, wherever helium worked for galore years. The New York Times reported that Watson died this week astatine a hospice connected Long Island.

In his aboriginal years, Watson's estimation was tarnished by comments connected genetics and contention that led him to beryllium ostracized by the technological establishment.

Even arsenic a younger man, helium was known arsenic overmuch for his penning and for his enfant-terrible persona — including his willingness to usage different scientist's information to beforehand his ain vocation — arsenic for his science.

His 1968 memoir, The Double Helix, was a racy, take-no-prisoners relationship of however helium and British physicist Francis Crick were archetypal to find the three-dimensional signifier of DNA. The accomplishment won the duo a stock of the 1962 Nobel Prize successful medicine and yet would pb to familial engineering, cistron therapy and different DNA-based medicine and technology.

Crick complained that the publication "grossly invaded my privacy" and different colleague, Maurice Wilkins, objected to what helium called a "distorted and unfavorable representation of scientists" arsenic ambitious schemers consenting to deceive colleagues and competitors successful bid to marque a discovery.

In addition, Watson and Crick, who did their probe astatine Cambridge University successful England, were wide criticized for utilizing earthy information collected by X-ray crystallographer Rosalind Franklin to conception their exemplary of DNA — arsenic 2 intertwined staircases — without afloat acknowledging her contribution. As Watson enactment it successful Double Helix, technological probe feels "the contradictory pulls of ambition and the consciousness of just play."

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In 2007, Watson again caused wide choler erstwhile helium told the Times of London that helium believed investigating indicated the quality of Africans was "not truly ... the aforesaid arsenic ours."

Accused of promoting long-discredited racist theories, helium was soon afterwards forced to discontinue from his station arsenic chancellor of New York's Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory (CSHL). Although helium aboriginal apologized, helium made akin comments successful a 2019 documentary.

Winding staircase modelled

James Dewey Watson was calved successful Chicago connected April 6, 1928, and graduated from the University of Chicago successful 1947 with a zoology degree. He received his doctorate from Indiana University, wherever helium focused connected genetics. In 1951, helium joined Cambridge's Cavendish Lab, wherever helium met Crick and began the quest for the structural chemistry of DNA.

The treble helix opened the doors to the genetics revolution. In the operation Crick and Watson proposed, the steps of the winding staircase were made of pairs of chemicals called nucleotides oregon bases. As they noted astatine the extremity of their 1953 paper, "It has not escaped our announcement that the circumstantial pairing we person postulated instantly suggests a imaginable copying mechanics for the familial material."

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That sentence, often called the top understatement successful the past of biology, meant that the base-and-helix operation provided the mechanics by which familial accusation tin beryllium precisely copied from 1 procreation to the next. That knowing led to the find of familial engineering and galore different DNA techniques.

Watson and Crick went their abstracted ways aft their DNA research. Watson was lone 25 years aged past and portion helium ne'er made different technological find approaching the value of the treble helix, helium remained a technological force.

"He had to fig retired what to bash with his beingness aft achieving what helium did astatine specified a young age," biologist Mark Ptashne, who met Watson successful the 1960s and remained a friend, told Reuters successful a 2012 interview. "He figured retired however to bash things that played to his strength."

That spot was playing "the pugnacious Irishman," arsenic Ptashne enactment it, to go 1 of the leaders of the U.S. leap to the forefront of molecular biology. Watson joined the biology section astatine Harvard University successful 1956.

From 1988 to 1992, Watson directed the national effort successful the U.S. to place the elaborate constitution of quality DNA. He created the project's immense concern successful morals probe by simply announcing it astatine a quality conference. He aboriginal said it was "probably the wisest happening I've done implicit the past decade."

Watson was connected manus astatine the White House successful 2000 for the announcement that the national task had completed an important  goal: a "working draft" of the quality genome, fundamentally a roadworthy map   to an estimated 90 per cent of quality genes. 

Researchers presented Watson with the elaborate description of his ain genome successful 2007. It was 1 of the archetypal genomes of an individual to beryllium deciphered.