Nobel Prize-winning American scientist James Watson has died aged 97.
His co-discovery of the structure of DNA opened the door to help explain how DNA replicates and carries genetic information, setting the stage for rapid advances in molecular biology.
However, his honorary titles were stripped in 2019 after he repeated comments regarding race and intelligence. In a TV program, he alluded to a notion that genes influence IQ test differences between racial groups.
Watson’s passing was confirmed to the BBC by Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory, where he had worked and researched extensively over the years.
He shared the Nobel Prize in 1962 with Maurice Wilkins and Francis Crick for their discovery of DNA's double helix structure. We have discovered the secret of life, they famously proclaimed at that time.
His comments on race led to Watson feeling ostracized from the scientific community. In 2007, he expressed a pessimistic view about the intelligence of individuals in Africa, which contributed to losing his position as chancellor at Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory.
In 2019, Watson once again suggested controversial links between race and intelligence, which prompted the laboratory to rescind his honorary titles.
DNA itself was first identified in 1869, with its structure remaining a mystery until researchers like Crick and Watson, using images obtained from King's College researcher Rosalind Franklin, were able to create a physical model of the molecule.
In a poignant moment reflecting his later years, Watson sold his Nobel Prize gold medal at auction for $4.8 million in 2014, citing the ostracism he faced due to his views.
