Nobel Prize-winning American scientist James Watson has died at 97. His co-discovery of the structure of DNA opened the door to help explain how DNA replicates and carries genetic information, setting the stage for rapid advances in molecular biology.
However, his honorary titles were stripped in 2019 after he repeated comments about race and intelligence. In a TV program, he suggested that genes could explain average differences in IQ scores between different races.
The death of Watson, who co-discovered the double-helix structure of DNA in 1953, was confirmed to the BBC by Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory, where he worked and researched for decades.
Watson shared the Nobel in 1962 with Maurice Wilkins and Francis Crick for their work on DNA's double helix. We have discovered the secret of life, they famously declared.
However, Watson's views on race led to his estrangement from the scientific community. He expressed being 'inherently gloomy' about the prospects of Africa due to his beliefs regarding intelligence disparities, leading to his dismissal as chancellor at Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory.
His comments in 2019 prompted the Lab to revoke his honorary titles, stating that his views were 'reprehensible' and 'unsupported by science.'
DNA was discovered in 1869, but the double helix structure was not understood until Watson and Crick's model was developed. This groundbreaking research, aided by Rosalind Franklin's photographs, transformed biological sciences.
Watson sold his Nobel Prize gold medal for $4.8 million in 2014, citing ostracism from the scientific community as a reason for the sale.
