James Watson, Central But Controversial DNA Pioneer, Dies at 97

James Watson - the Nobel laureate jointly credited with uncovering the double-helix structure of DNA, but whose standing was damaged by repeated racist statements - has died aged 97.

The leading American biologist died on Thursday while receiving hospice care on Long Island, New York, according to the Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory, the institution where he spent a large portion of his working life.

Watson became one of the most celebrated scientists of the 20th century after the 1953 identification of the double helix, a landmark achievement he made with his research collaborator Francis Crick.

Watson, Crick and Maurice Wilkins jointly received the 1962 Nobel Prize for the transformative work that helped establish modern biology and enabled advances including a deeper understanding of genetic code and protein synthesis.

That discovery ushered in a new chapter of modern life, paving the way for breakthrough technologies across medicine, forensics and genetics, such as criminal DNA testing and genetically modified crops.

Only 25 at the time, Watson played a role in one of science’s greatest discoveries. In later years he contributed to pioneering work in cancer research and in efforts to map the human genome.

His 1968 memoir The Double Helix became a best-seller, widely admired for its light, accessible style describing intense rivalry in the pursuit of scientific progress.

Privately, however, Watson’s reputation was that he could be, at best, irritable and blunt - and, at worst, cruel and prejudiced.

He frequently belittled women in science, among them Rosalind Franklin, whose X-ray diffraction images of DNA provided the crucial clue that enabled Watson and Crick to build their model.

Franklin, who worked alongside Wilkins, was not awarded the Nobel. She died in 1958, and the prize is neither shared by more than three people nor awarded posthumously.

For many years Watson faced little repercussion for his behaviour, until 2007, when he told a newspaper 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 – whereas all the testing says not really."

He apologised - yet he was quickly removed as chancellor of his laboratory, and his public reputation did not recover.

‘Twisting ladder’: James Watson, DNA and the double helix

James Dewey Watson was born in Chicago, Illinois, on 6 April 1928, and at 15 he won a scholarship to the University of Chicago.

In 1950 he earned a PhD in zoology from Indiana University Bloomington, then followed an academic route that took him to institutions in Europe, including Cambridge, where he met Crick and began a partnership that would become historic.

Using X-ray images produced by Franklin and Wilkins - scientists at King’s College London - Watson and Crick set about deciphering the double helix.

Their first meaningful attempt fell short.

Their second effort succeeded - with one of Franklin’s images proving pivotal, and the pair obtaining it without her knowledge - leading Watson and Crick to present the double-helical structure.

The now-famous illustration is often likened to a twisting ladder.

Their model also explained how the DNA molecule could replicate itself, resolving a foundational question in genetics.

In 1953, Watson and Crick published their results in the British journal "Nature" to widespread acclaim.

Watson spent 15 years teaching at Harvard before taking charge as director of what is now called the Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory, which he reshaped into a world-leading centre for molecular biology research.

From 1988 to 1992, Watson served as one of the directors of the Human Genome Project at the National Institutes of Health, where he supervised the work to map the genes on human chromosomes.

He and his wife, Elizabeth, had two sons, Rufus and Duncan.

Over his lifetime he received honorary degrees from dozens of universities, authored numerous books and accumulated many honours. Jeff Goldblum portrayed him in a BBC-produced film about the double helix.

On Friday, his former laboratory highlighted his "extraordinary contributions."

However, the institution ultimately cut ties with him, including removing his emeritus status - after Watson again made "reprehensible" comments in a PBS documentary broadcast in 2019.

© Agence France-Presse