DNA structure’s co-discoverer James Watson dies at 97

ISTANBUL

James Dewey Watson, the American scientist who helped discover the structure of DNA at age 25, died Thursday at his home in New York. He was 97.

His son, Duncan Watson, confirmed that his father died in a hospice where he was moved earlier this week after receiving treatment for an infection, the New York Times reported.

Watson and his co-discoverer, Francis H.C. Crick, achieved fame and received the 1962 Nobel Prize in Medicine for identifying the double-helix structure of DNA, the molecule that carries genetic information and forms the basis of chromosomes.

The 1953 discovery of DNA’s structure laid the foundation for breakthroughs in genetics, from identifying mutations to developing genetically-modified crops and gene-editing tools like CRISPR-Cas9.

Watson faced backlash for his controversial remarks and minimizing Rosalind Franklin’s role in the discovery, whose X-ray results and unpublished research were used by Crick and Watson.

In 2014, Watson said he would sell his Nobel Prize medal, stating that his controversial remarks isolated him from the scientific community, and he needed the money while planning to donate part of the proceeds to scientific research.

The medal sold at auction for $4.8 million.

In 2019, Watson’s honorary titles were revoked after he repeated controversial claims linking race and intelligence.

Watson was honored with the Presidential Medal of Freedom in 1977, held honorary degrees from more than 12 universities and belonged to the National Academy of Sciences.