Nobel Prize-winning scientist James Watson, who co-discovered the double-helix structure of DNA with Francis Crick in 1953, has died at the age of 97. The groundbreaking discovery, which earned Watson, Crick, and Maurice Wilkins the 1962 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine, revolutionised the field of molecular biology.

 

 

Born in Chicago in 1928, Watson studied at the University of Chicago before continuing his research at Cambridge, where he collaborated with Crick and built on Rosalind Franklin’s X-ray images to unlock the structure of DNA. Watson later taught at Harvard University and served as the director of Cold Spring Harbour Laboratory, where he helped transform the institution into a world-leading research centre.

 

 

However, Watson’s later career was overshadowed by controversial comments on race and intelligence, which led to his dismissal as chancellor of Cold Spring Harbour Laboratory and the revocation of several honorary titles. In 2014, Watson made headlines again when he sold his Nobel Prize medal for 4.8 million dollars, citing his ostracism from the scientific community. Despite his controversies, Watson’s contribution to the field of genetics remains pivotal and continues to shape the study of biology today.