James Watson, co-discoverer of DNA double helix, dies aged 97
The discovery that DNA has a three-dimensional, double-helix shape allowed researchers to understand how cells worked
Nobel prize winner and DNA pioneer James Watson has passed away aged 97.
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The scientist was best known for identifying the double-helix structure of DNA in 1953 alongside a British scientist, Francis Crick, in one of the greatest breakthroughs of the 20th century.
"We have discovered the secret of life," they said at the time.
The discovery that DNA has a three-dimensional, double-helix shape allowed the pair to understand how cells worked, including the manner that characteristics were passed down through generations.
"When we saw the answer we had to pinch ourselves," said Watson. "We realised it probably was true because it was so pretty."
The discovery won them a Nobel Prize for Medicine in 1962 and secured their position in the historic ranks of great scientific thinkers.
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However, Mr Watson's reputation went on to be badly damaged by his comments on race and sex, with the scientist making claims in a TV programme about genes causing a difference in average IQ between blacks and whites.
In 2007, whilst working at the University of Cambridge's Cavendish Laboratory, Mr Watson told the Times newspaper 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".
The comments led to him losing his job as chancellor at Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory in New York, and his take on race ultimately led to him saying that he felt ostracised by the scientific community.
Additional comments of a similar vein 2019 led the lab to strip his honorary titles of chancellor emeritus, Oliver R Grace professor emeritus and honorary trustee, saying his statements are "reprehensible" and "unsupported by science".
In 2014, Watson sold his Nobel gold medal at auction for $4.8m (£3.6m), saying he was doing so because he felt ostracised. The medal was purchased by a Russian billionaire, who promptly gave it back to him.