Cold Spring Harbor, New York – James Dewey Watson, the American molecular biologist who co-discovered the double-helix structure of DNA and shared the 1962 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine, died on November 7, 2025, at the age of 97. His death was confirmed by Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory (CSHL) in New York, where Watson had served as director, president, and chancellor emeritus over a career spanning more than four decades. CSHL issued a statement praising Watson's transformative contributions to science while acknowledging the controversies that marked his later years.
Born on April 6, 1928, in Chicago, Illinois, Watson was a prodigious talent from an early age. He entered the University of Chicago at 15 under an experimental program for gifted students and earned a bachelor's degree in zoology in 1947. He completed his PhD in zoology at Indiana University in 1950, focusing on the effects of X-rays on bacteriophage multiplication. It was during a postdoctoral fellowship at the University of Copenhagen and later at the Cavendish Laboratory in Cambridge, England, that Watson's path intersected with British physicist Francis Crick.
In 1953, at just 25 years old, Watson and Crick published their seminal paper in the journal Nature, proposing that deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA) consists of two complementary strands twisted into a double helix. The model was built upon critical X-ray diffraction data provided by British chemist Rosalind Franklin and her colleague Maurice Wilkins at King's College London. Watson, Crick, and Wilkins were jointly awarded the Nobel Prize in 1962 for this breakthrough, which elucidated the mechanism of genetic replication and inheritance. Franklin, who died in 1958 at age 37, was not included in the prize, a decision that has fueled ongoing debates about credit in scientific discovery.
The double-helix model revolutionized biology. It explained how genetic information is stored in the sequence of nucleotide bases—adenine (A) pairing with thymine (T), and guanine (G) with cytosine (C)—and how this information is copied during cell division. When a cell divides, the two strands unzip like a zipper, each serving as a template for a new complementary strand. This process ensures faithful transmission of hereditary traits from one generation to the next.
The impact of Watson and Crick's discovery extended far beyond the laboratory. It laid the foundation for modern genetics, enabling advancements in medicine, forensics, anthropology, and biotechnology. In medicine, it spurred the development of gene therapy, where defective genes are replaced or supplemented to treat diseases like cystic fibrosis and certain cancers. Forensic science benefited immensely; DNA profiling, pioneered in the 1980s by Alec Jeffreys, allows identification of individuals from trace evidence such as blood, hair, or saliva, revolutionizing criminal investigations and exonerating the wrongly convicted through initiatives like the Innocence Project.
Genealogy has been transformed by consumer DNA testing services, which analyze genetic markers to trace ancestry and connect distant relatives. The Human Genome Project, launched in 1990 and completed in 2003, sequenced the entire human genome—approximately 3 billion base pairs—building directly on the double-helix framework. Watson played a pivotal role in advocating for and leading the U.S. component of this international effort through the National Institutes of Health.
Culturally, the double helix became an iconic symbol of scientific progress. It appeared in Salvador Dalí's 1963 painting Gala Contemplating the Mediterranean Sea, on a 1967 British postage stamp commemorating the discovery, and in countless logos, textbooks, and media representations. As Watson reflected in his 1968 memoir The Double Helix, "Francis Crick and I made the discovery of the century, that was pretty clear." He later wrote in Avoid Boring People (2007), "There was no way we could have foreseen the explosive impact of the double helix on science and society."
Yet the discovery also ignited profound ethical debates. Genetic engineering raises questions about "designer babies," where embryos are selected or edited for traits like intelligence or appearance. Heritable genome editing, as demonstrated by the controversial 2018 CRISPR experiments by Chinese scientist He Jiankui, prompts concerns over unintended consequences and eugenics. Privacy issues abound with DNA databases, and the potential for genetic discrimination in insurance or employment has led to laws like the U.S. Genetic Information Nondiscrimination Act of 2008.
Watson's post-discovery career was illustrious. After Cambridge, he joined Harvard University in 1956, becoming a full professor in 1961. He authored influential textbooks, including Molecular Biology of the Gene (1965), which became a standard reference. In 1968, he assumed directorship of CSHL, transforming it into a world-renowned center for cancer research, neuroscience, and genomics. Under his leadership from 1968 to 1994 as director and until 2007 as president, CSHL expanded its facilities and faculty, hosting annual symposia that attracted top scientists.
Watson's involvement in the Human Genome Project was deeply personal. His son Rufus, born in 1970, was diagnosed with schizophrenia, motivating Watson to push for genomic mapping to uncover the genetic roots of mental illness. Although Rufus's condition did not benefit directly from the project in time, Watson's advocacy helped secure federal funding and international collaboration.
Despite these achievements, Watson's legacy was tarnished by repeated controversial statements on race and intelligence. In 2007, during a book tour in Britain, he told The Sunday Times that he was "inherently gloomy about the prospect of Africa" because "all our social policies are based on the fact that their intelligence is the same as ours—whereas all the testing says not really." He added that while he hoped everyone was equal, "people who have to deal with black employees find this is not true." The remarks, echoing pseudoscientific views he had expressed earlier, sparked global outrage.
CSHL immediately distanced itself, stripping Watson of his honorary titles in 2007 and forcing his retirement. In 2019, following a PBS documentary where Watson reiterated similar views without remorse, the lab revoked his remaining honors, stating his comments were "reprehensible" and unsupported by science. Watson apologized in 2007, claiming his views were misrepresented, but stood by some assertions in later interviews.
Scientific consensus firmly rejects Watson's claims. Intelligence is a complex, polygenic trait influenced by environment, education, and socioeconomic factors, not race. Studies, including genome-wide association analyses, show no meaningful genetic differences in cognitive potential between racial groups, which are social constructs rather than biological categories.
Watson's death closes a chapter on one of the 20th century's most influential scientists. Tributes from peers highlighted his brilliance while condemning his bigotry. Francis Crick died in 2004; Maurice Wilkins in 2004. Rosalind Franklin's contributions have gained posthumous recognition, with institutions like the Rosalind Franklin University of Medicine and Science honoring her.
In a statement, CSHL president Bruce Stillman said, "Jim Watson's scientific legacy is immense, but his personal views on race were utterly at odds with the values of this institution and science itself." The lab plans a symposium in 2026 to reflect on the double helix's 73rd anniversary and its ongoing implications.
Watson's life exemplifies the dual-edged sword of scientific genius: profound insight coupled with human flaws. His work continues to shape humanity's understanding of life, even as society grapples with the ethical Pandora's box he helped open. Funeral arrangements remain private, per family wishes.
