James D. Watson, who co‑discovered the DNA double helix in 1953 and shared the 1962 Nobel Prize, has died at 97. His work established the foundations of modern molecular biology and helped set the stage for the Human Genome Project. Later in life, controversial comments about race and intelligence led Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory to cut formal ties. He is survived by two sons.
James D. Watson, 97, Co‑Discoverer of DNA’s Double Helix, Dies
James D. Watson, who co‑discovered the DNA double helix in 1953 and shared the 1962 Nobel Prize, has died at 97. His work established the foundations of modern molecular biology and helped set the stage for the Human Genome Project. Later in life, controversial comments about race and intelligence led Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory to cut formal ties. He is survived by two sons.
02:41, 09.11.2025Science
James D. Watson, 97, Co‑Discoverer of the DNA Double Helix, Dies
CAMBRIDGE, Massachusetts — James D. Watson, the molecular biologist whose 1953 work revealing the structure of DNA helped transform biology, has died at the age of 97, the Associated Press reported.
Born in Chicago on April 6, 1928, Watson entered the University of Chicago at age 15 and earned a Ph.D. in zoology by 22. His early curiosity about heredity and molecular structure led him to Cambridge, England, where he and Francis Crick constructed the model of DNA’s double‑strand helix — a discovery for which Watson, Crick and Maurice Wilkins shared the 1962 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine.
Watson’s work laid the foundation for modern molecular biology and opened pathways to innovations such as gene therapy, molecular diagnostics and forensic DNA analysis. He later directed Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory on Long Island and played an early role in efforts that ultimately contributed to the Human Genome Project.
His career, however, was clouded by controversy. In the 2000s Watson made public remarks about race and intelligence that were widely condemned; as a result, Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory severed all formal ties with him.
Watson was married and is survived by two sons. His scientific achievements remain central to contemporary biology, even as his later statements complicated his legacy.
Legacy: A towering figure in 20th‑century biology whose discovery of DNA’s structure reshaped science — and whose reputation was later overshadowed by controversial public remarks.