Skip to main content

Thank you for visiting nature.com. You are using a browser version with limited support for CSS. To obtain the best experience, we recommend you use a more up to date browser (or turn off compatibility mode in Internet Explorer). In the meantime, to ensure continued support, we are displaying the site without styles and JavaScript.

DNA pioneer James Watson has died ― colleagues wrestle with his legacy

The co-discoverer of the structure of DNA helped to strengthen a US research institute and wrote a classic textbook, but also earned a reputation for racist and sexist comments.
By
  1. Heidi Ledford

    1. Heidi Ledford reports for Nature from Seattle, Washington.

  2. Mariana Lenharo

    1. Mariana Lenharo is a news reporter for Nature based in New York City.

  3. Brendan Maher
  4. Traci Watson

    1. Traci Watson a senior editor for news and research highlights at Nature. She is based in Washington DC.

James Dewey Watson — who won a Nobel prize for his role in determining the structure of DNA; was instrumental in initiating and propelling the Human Genome Project; and became notorious for his history of racist and sexist comments — has died aged 97.

Access options

Rent or buy this article

Prices vary by article type

from$1.95

to$39.95

Learn more

Prices may be subject to local taxes which are calculated during checkout

Nature 647, 563-564 (2025)

doi: https://doi.org/10.1038/d41586-025-03380-2

Updates & Corrections

  • Correction 14 November 2025: A previous version of this story misstated the year of a lecture given by Watson.

References

  1. Watson, J. D. & Crick, F. H. C. Nature 171, 737–738 (1953).

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  2. Cobb, M. & Comfort, N. Nature 616, 657–660 (2023).

    Article  Google Scholar 

Download references

Subjects

Latest on:

Nature Careers

Jobs

Nature Briefing

Sign up for the Nature Briefing newsletter — what matters in science, free to your inbox daily.

Get the most important science stories of the day, free in your inbox. Sign up for Nature Briefing

Search

Advanced search

Quick links