James Watson, the brilliant and controversial scientist who co-discovered the double-helix structure of DNA, has died at the age of 97 after a brief illness.
Watson was propelled to global fame in the 1950s for his seminal work that unveiled the blueprint of life, a breakthrough that launched the era of molecular biology.
Watson’s crowning achievement came in 1953 when, working with Francis Crick at the University of Cambridge, he determined that the deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA) molecule was structured as a gently twisting, two-stranded ladder. This realization instantly solved the mystery of how hereditary information is stored and how cells duplicate themselves, fundamentally changing the course of biological science.
For this work, Watson, Crick, and Maurice Wilkins were awarded the 1962 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine.
Following his Nobel-winning discovery, Watson remained an influential figure in the scientific community.
He authored the best-selling memoir, The Double Helix, wrote influential textbooks, and spent decades guiding the Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory in New York, transforming it into a major research center. He also played a key role in the early direction of the Human Genome Project, the ambitious international effort to map the complete set of human genes.
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