Nobel Prize-winning American scientist James Watson, one of the co-discoverers of the structure of DNA, has died aged 97.
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.
However, Watson's reputation was severely damaged by his controversial comments regarding race and sex, particularly his assertions about genetic differences affecting intelligence levels among different races.
Watson's death was confirmed by Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory, where he worked for many decades. Notably, he was forced to resign as chancellor of the institution due to his inflammatory remarks.
Watson shared the Nobel Prize in 1962 with Maurice Wilkins and Francis Crick for the discovery of DNA's structure, famously declaring at the time, We have discovered the secret of life.
Despite his accolades, by the early 2000s, Watson faced widespread ostracism from the scientific community due to his racist and sexist comments, particularly following a controversial interview where he expressed pessimistic views regarding intelligence measurements in populations in Africa.
Watson's controversial statements persisted; by 2019, he reiterated links between race and intelligence, prompting further censure from the laboratory, which characterized his statements as reprehensible and unsupported by science.
James Watson's scientific legacy, while marked by his monumental contributions to genetics and molecular biology, is inextricably linked to a complex and contentious narrative that reflects ongoing societal struggles with race and gender equity in science.
