"Scientist James Watson, whose research on the structure of DNA helped pave the way for developments in the study of human genetics, has died at the age of 97. Watson, a brilliant but controversial figure who later prompted outcry with his promotion of debunked racist ideas, shared the 1962 Nobel Prize in medicine with fellow scientists Francis Crick and Maurice Wilkins for discovering the double helix structure of deoxyribonucleic acid, or DNA."
"Watson's discovery helped pave the way for important developments in the alteration of the genetic makeup of living beings and treating diseases through the insertion of genes into patients, along with the increased use of DNA samples in criminology. Francis Crick and I made the discovery of the century, that was pretty clear, he once said, later writing that he could not have anticipated the explosive impact of the double helix on science and society."
James Watson co-discovered the double helix structure of DNA, sharing the 1962 Nobel Prize in Medicine with Francis Crick and Maurice Wilkins. The double helix image became an iconic symbol and enabled advances in human genetics, gene therapy, genetic modification, and forensic DNA use. Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory noted the discovery as a pivotal life-sciences moment. Watson died at age 97 in hospice care after a brief illness. Watson's reputation was later damaged by public promotion of long-discredited racist ideas, including statements in 2007 about racial differences in intelligence that led to international outcry and his loss of a laboratory leadership role.
Read at www.aljazeera.com
Unable to calculate read time
Collection
[
|
...
]