James Watson, DNA Pioneer, Dies at 97

American molecular biologist who helped uncover the structure of DNA and reshaped modern science, has died at 97. His death was confirmed by Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory (CSHL), the New York research institute where he spent most of his career and later served as chancellor.

James Watson was 24 when, together with British scientist Francis Crick, he identified the now-famous double-helix structure of DNA in 1953. The discovery, built partly on X-ray crystallography images produced by Rosalind Franklin at King’s College London, transformed biology. It provided the framework for understanding how genetic information is stored, replicated and transmitted, setting the foundation for gene sequencing, genetic engineering and biotechnology.

“We have discovered the secret of life,” Watson and Crick declared at the time. Less than a decade later, in 1962, the pair shared the Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine with Maurice Wilkins, another key figure in the race to decipher DNA. Franklin, whose research proved critical, died in 1958 and was therefore not included, since the Nobel Prize is not awarded posthumously. Today she is widely recognised as an indispensable contributor to the breakthrough.

The discovery opened the door to rapid progress in genetics. In the decades that followed, researchers demonstrated how mutations in DNA lead to inherited diseases, paving the way for prenatal diagnosis, targeted drug development and gene therapy. By 2003, the Human Genome Project had successfully mapped the complete human genetic code, one of the largest scientific undertakings in history and a culmination of methods rooted in the double-helix model.

Watson’s scientific reputation, however, became overshadowed by repeated controversial statements about race and intelligence. In 2007, he told The Times that he was “inherently gloomy about the prospect of Africa,” suggesting that differences in intelligence between racial groups were genetic. The claim was widely condemned by scientists, who emphasised that intelligence is influenced by many interacting factors including environment, education and socioeconomic conditions. Large-scale genomic studies have since confirmed that race is a social construct rather than a genetically coherent category, and that no DNA evidence supports racial hierarchies of intelligence.

After the remarks, Watson apologised and stepped down as chancellor of CSHL. Further comments in 2019 reignited the controversy and the laboratory moved to strip him of his remaining honorary titles, calling the statements “reprehensible” and “unsupported by science.”

Watson’s career also sat uneasily with questions about gender in science. Former colleagues noted that he mentored female researchers at Harvard during a period when women faced severe barriers in academia. Yet he also made disparaging remarks about women and wrote troubling descriptions of Franklin’s appearance in The Double Helix, his bestselling 1968 memoir.

Born in Chicago in April 1928, Watson earned a scholarship to the University of Chicago at just 15. After becoming interested in X-ray diffraction, he pursued research at Cambridge, where he met Crick and began modelling possible DNA structures. His scientific success eventually brought him to Harvard, where he became a professor of biology. He and his wife, Elizabeth, raised two sons; one was diagnosed with schizophrenia as a teenager, which spurred Watson’s continuing interest in understanding genes linked to neurological disorders.

In 1968, Watson took over Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory. He played a central role in transforming it into a leading research hub in genetics and cancer biology, helping build what would become one of the most influential scientific institutions in the world.

In 2014, feeling cut off from the scientific community after years of controversy, Watson sold his Nobel Prize medal for $4.8 million. The buyer, Russian philanthropist Alisher Usmanov, returned the medal to him after the auction.

James Watson leaves behind a legacy both monumental and divisive. His role in revealing the structure of DNA reshaped modern science and medicine, but his repeated remarks about race and gender created deep wounds that he never repaired. His story remains a reminder of how towering scientific achievement can coexist with personal views that sharply conflict with the values of the scientific community and the evidence it stands for.