American molecular biologist and zoologist James Watson was born in Chicago, Illinois on April 6, 1928.
As a child Watson was fascinated with bird watching, a hobby shared with his father and for years he considered majoring in ornithology. After reading Erwin Schrödinger's book What Is Life? in 1946, Watson changed his professional ambitions from the study of ornithology to genetics.
Educated at the University of Chicago and Indiana University, Watson met British scientist Francis Crick at the University of Cambridge's Cavendish Laboratory in England.
James Watson announced with Francis Crick to the press in the Eagle pub near Cavendish Laboratory on February 28. 1953 that they had "discovered the secret of life" after they came up with their proposal for the structure of DNA, the chemical that carries the instruction that determines heredity.
In mid-March 1953, Watson and Crick deduced the double helix structure of DNA. Their discovery was formally announced on April 25, 1953 in Nature magazine.
Watson is a fervent atheist. Ironically in the Cavendish Laboratory where the zealously atheistic scientist worked he daily passed an inscription of Psalm 111: 2 "Great are the works of the Lord", carved across the laboratory's front door.
Watson, Crick, and Maurice Wilkins, who also contributed to the discovery of DNA's structure, were awarded the 1962 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine "for their discoveries concerning the molecular structure of nucleic acids and its significance for information transfer in living material".
Watson wrote of the discovery of the double helix structure of DNA in his autobiographical book, The Double Helix (1968). He penned The Double Helix in a fiction like style to attract young people in science. The intimate first-person memoir about scientific discovery was unusual for its time and in 1998, the Modern Library placed The Double Helix at number 7 on its list of the 100 best nonfiction books of the 20th century.
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| Dr. James D. Watson |
Educated at the University of Chicago and Indiana University, Watson met British scientist Francis Crick at the University of Cambridge's Cavendish Laboratory in England.
James Watson announced with Francis Crick to the press in the Eagle pub near Cavendish Laboratory on February 28. 1953 that they had "discovered the secret of life" after they came up with their proposal for the structure of DNA, the chemical that carries the instruction that determines heredity.
In mid-March 1953, Watson and Crick deduced the double helix structure of DNA. Their discovery was formally announced on April 25, 1953 in Nature magazine.
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| DNA model built by Crick and Watson in 1953, on display in the Science Museum, London |
Watson is a fervent atheist. Ironically in the Cavendish Laboratory where the zealously atheistic scientist worked he daily passed an inscription of Psalm 111: 2 "Great are the works of the Lord", carved across the laboratory's front door.
Watson, Crick, and Maurice Wilkins, who also contributed to the discovery of DNA's structure, were awarded the 1962 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine "for their discoveries concerning the molecular structure of nucleic acids and its significance for information transfer in living material".
Watson wrote of the discovery of the double helix structure of DNA in his autobiographical book, The Double Helix (1968). He penned The Double Helix in a fiction like style to attract young people in science. The intimate first-person memoir about scientific discovery was unusual for its time and in 1998, the Modern Library placed The Double Helix at number 7 on its list of the 100 best nonfiction books of the 20th century.
Watson originally wanted to title his memoir Honest Jim, and then Base Pairs, but Francis Crick had issues with it.
Watson was on the faculty of the Harvard University Biology Department for twenty years from 1956, promoting research in molecular biology.
From 1968 Watson served as director of Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory (CSHL) on Long Island, New York. At CSHL, Watson shifted his research emphasis to the study of cancer, along with making it a world leading research center in molecular biology.
Between 1988 until April 10, 1992, Watson was associated with the National Institutes of Health, where he helped establish the Human Genome Project, an international scientific research project with the goal of mapping out the total genes of the human genome from both a physical and functional standpoint.
Watson controversially stated in 1973 that because most birth defects were not discovered until birth, he believed that babies shouldn't be considered alive until three days after they enter this world. This would mean that if the baby is sick, disabled, deformed, or deemed otherwise unacceptable, the infant can be legally left to die or euthanized.
In 2014, Watson auctioned off his Nobel prize medal for US$4.1 million (£2.6 million), saying he had financial problems because "no one really wants to admit I exist" — after he suggested that people of African descent were less intelligent than white people. The medal was subsequently returned to Watson by the purchaser, Russian tycoon Alisher Usmanov. He was the first living Nobelist to sell his medal.
Watson was on the faculty of the Harvard University Biology Department for twenty years from 1956, promoting research in molecular biology.
From 1968 Watson served as director of Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory (CSHL) on Long Island, New York. At CSHL, Watson shifted his research emphasis to the study of cancer, along with making it a world leading research center in molecular biology.
Between 1988 until April 10, 1992, Watson was associated with the National Institutes of Health, where he helped establish the Human Genome Project, an international scientific research project with the goal of mapping out the total genes of the human genome from both a physical and functional standpoint.
Watson controversially stated in 1973 that because most birth defects were not discovered until birth, he believed that babies shouldn't be considered alive until three days after they enter this world. This would mean that if the baby is sick, disabled, deformed, or deemed otherwise unacceptable, the infant can be legally left to die or euthanized.
In 2014, Watson auctioned off his Nobel prize medal for US$4.1 million (£2.6 million), saying he had financial problems because "no one really wants to admit I exist" — after he suggested that people of African descent were less intelligent than white people. The medal was subsequently returned to Watson by the purchaser, Russian tycoon Alisher Usmanov. He was the first living Nobelist to sell his medal.
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