Published: 7 November 2025NPRScience & Technology
James Watson, Co-Discoverer of DNA Double Helix Structure, Dies at 97
James Dewey Watson, the American molecular biologist who co-discovered the double helix structure of DNA with Francis Crick in 1953, died on November 6, 2025, at age 97 in East Northport, New York. Watson, Crick, and Maurice Wilkins shared the 1962 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine.
Their landmark paper in Nature was built partly on X-ray crystallography work by Rosalind Franklin. Watson later served as director of Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory (1968-2007). His discovery revolutionized genetics, molecular biology, and biotechnology, enabling advances from genome sequencing to CRISPR gene editing.
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Q: Assess the scientific legacy of James Watson's co-discovery of the DNA double helix and its transformative impact on modern biotechnology and genetic medicine.
Answer (50 words):
James Dewey Watson, who co-discovered the DNA double helix with Francis Crick in 1953, died on November 6, 2025 aged 97. The discovery, also drawing on Rosalind Franklin's X-ray crystallography, earned Watson, Crick and Wilkins the 1962 Nobel Prize and enabled advances spanning genome sequencing to CRISPR gene editing technologies.
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Which award was given posthumously to Prof. Jayant Narlikar under Rashtriya Vigyan Puraskar 2025?
Explanation · Correct answer DThe Vigyan Ratna Award for lifetime achievement was given posthumously to Prof. Jayant Vishnu Narlikar for physics contributions.
Frequently asked questions
When and where did James Dewey Watson die, and at what age?
James Dewey Watson died on November 6, 2025, at age 97 in East Northport, New York.
What 1953 scientific discovery was Watson associated with?
Watson co-discovered the double helix structure of DNA with Francis Crick in 1953.
Who shared the 1962 Nobel Prize, and what work supported their Nature paper?
Watson, Crick, and Maurice Wilkins shared the 1962 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine. Their landmark Nature paper was built partly on Rosalind Franklin's X-ray crystallography work.
What later role did Watson hold, and what fields did the DNA discovery affect?
Watson served as director of Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory from 1968 to 2007. The discovery revolutionized genetics, molecular biology, and biotechnology, enabling advances from genome sequencing to CRISPR gene editing.
