James Watson, the renowned scientist who co-discovered the structure of DNA, passed away on November 6, 2025, at the age of 97. His groundbreaking work has left an indelible mark on the fields of biology, medicine, and genetics, shaping scientific understanding and innovation for decades. Yet, his legacy remains complex due to controversial statements he made later in life, which sparked significant backlash and tarnished his reputation.
The story of Watson’s discovery of DNA’s double helix begins on a foggy Saturday morning in 1953. At just 24 years old, the tall and slender James Watson was deeply engrossed in puzzling over cardboard cutouts representing fragments of the DNA molecule. His goal was to figure out how these pieces fit together to enable DNA’s vital function as the carrier of genetic information. Suddenly, he realized the fragments aligned as the “rungs” of a long, twisted ladder—a structure now famously known as the double helix. His immediate reaction was one of awe: “It’s so beautiful.”
This discovery was far more than an aesthetic revelation. It represented a monumental breakthrough that unlocked the secrets of how hereditary information is stored and transmitted within living organisms. The double helix model explained how cells replicate DNA by “unzipping” the two strands, allowing each new cell to inherit an exact copy of genetic material. This insight laid the foundation for a revolution in biology and medicine, influencing diverse fields such as forensic science, genealogy, and bioethics.
Watson’s work, conducted alongside British scientist Francis Crick and physicist Maurice Wilkins, earned the trio the Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine in 1962. Their achievement was also heavily supported by the X-ray crystallography research of Rosalind Franklin and her graduate student Raymond Gosling, whose images were critical in revealing DNA’s structure. However, Watson’s portrayal of Franklin in his memoir, “The Double Helix,” was widely criticized for being dismissive and unfair, contributing to ongoing discussions about the recognition of women’s contributions in science. Franklin, who died tragically young in 1958, is now regarded as a pioneering figure whose work was historically overlooked.
Bruce Stillman, president of Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory—where Watson spent much of his career—described the discovery of the double helix as “one of the three most important discoveries in the history of biology,” alongside Charles Darwin’s theory of evolution and Gregor Mendel’s laws of genetics. Indeed, the implications of the double helix have been profound. Beyond explaining heredity, it paved the way for genetic engineering, gene therapy, DNA fingerprinting in criminal investigations, and tracing human ancestry. These scientific advances have also raised vital ethical questions, such as the morality of altering the human genome in ways that can be inherited by future generations.
Watson’s personal life intersected with his scientific ambitions. His support for the Human Genome Project, which aimed to map the entire human genetic code, was partly motivated by his son Rufus’s illness—Rufus had been hospitalized with a potential diagnosis of schizophrenia. Watson believed that a deeper understanding of DNA could one day help unravel complex diseases like schizophrenia, offering hope for treatment.
Although Watson never made another discovery as monumental as the double helix, he remained an influential figure in science throughout his life. After the discovery, he spent two years at the California Institute of Technology before joining Harvard’s faculty in 1955. There, he established Harvard’s molecular biology program, shaping generations of young scientists. In 1968, he became director of Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory, later serving as its president and chancellor. His leadership helped cement the institution’s reputation as a premier center for genetic research.
From 1988 to 1992, Watson directed the federal Human Genome Project. During this time, he made a significant decision to invest heavily in the ethical considerations of genetic research, announcing this commitment publicly. He later described this as “probably the wisest thing I’ve done over the past decade,” recognizing the profound societal implications of genetic science.
Despite his scientific brilliance, Watson’s later years were clouded by controversy. In 2007, the Sunday Times Magazine published remarks in which Watson expressed pessimistic views about Africa, claiming that intelligence differences existed between races based on testing data. He stated he was “inherently gloomy about the prospect of Africa” and suggested social policies mistakenly assumed racial equality in intelligence. These comments sparked international outrage, leading