DNA Pioneer James Watson Dies At 97

Nobel Prize-winning American scientist James Watson, one of the co-discoverers of the structure of DNA, has died aged 97, the BBC reported yesterday.

In one of the greatest breakthroughs of the 20th Century, he identified the double-helix structure of DNA in 1953 alongside British scientist Francis Crick, setting the stage for rapid advances in molecular biology.

But Watson’s reputation and standing were badly hurt by his comments on race and sex. In a TV programme, he made claims about genes causing a difference in average IQ between black and white people.

His death was confirmed by Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory, where he worked and researched for decades, before having to resign as its chancellor over the comments.

Watson shared the Nobel in 1962 with Maurice Wilkins and Francis Crick for the DNA’s double helix structure discovery.