Nobel Prize-winning American scientist James Watson, one of the co-discoverers of the double-helix structure of DNA, has died at the age of 97. His death was confirmed by Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory (CSHL), the institution where he worked and conducted research for decades.
Watson, alongside British scientist Francis Crick, identified the structure of DNA in 1953, a breakthrough that transformed modern biology. In 1962, Watson, Crick and Maurice Wilkins jointly received the Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine for the discovery.
However, Watson’s legacy grew increasingly contentious. His public comments linking race and intelligence, widely criticised as scientifically baseless and racist, led to professional isolation and the loss of his leadership roles. In 2007, remarks suggesting differences in intelligence between Black and White people resulted in his removal as CSHL chancellor. Further similar comments in 2019 led the lab to strip him of all honorary titles, stating that his views were “reprehensible” and “unsupported by science.”
Watson’s scientific work also drew scrutiny for other reasons. His and Crick’s DNA model was built using X-ray images produced by Rosalind Franklin, obtained without her knowledge—an issue that has since reshaped historical understanding of the discovery.
Born in Chicago in 1928, Watson entered the University of Chicago at age 15 and later conducted research at the University of Cambridge, where he met Crick. After the DNA breakthrough, he joined Harvard University and eventually became director of CSHL, helping transform it into a world-leading research institute.
In 2014, claiming ostracism from the scientific community, Watson sold his Nobel medal at auction for $4.8 million—which was later returned to him by the buyer, a Russian philanthropist.
Watson is survived by his wife, Elizabeth, and their two sons.
