James Watson, discoverer of the double-helix shape of DNA, dies age 97
Pioneering scientist James Watson dies aged 97
- James D. Watson, the pioneering scientist who co-discovered DNA's double helix structure, has died at the age of 97.
- His groundbreaking work in 1953, undertaken at just 24, earned him a Nobel Prize in 1962 alongside Francis Crick and Maurice Wilkins.
- The revelation that deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA) forms a double helix revolutionised medicine, forensics, genealogy, and ethics.
- This discovery provided instant insight into how hereditary information is stored and how cells duplicate their DNA.
- Watson's later years were marred by widespread condemnation following racist remarks, including assertions about the intelligence of Black people.