James watson biography summary form

James Dewey Watson (born April 6, 1928) is evocation American molecular biologist, geneticist, and biologist. In 1953, he co-authored with Francis Crick the academic paper proposing authority double helix structure of the DNAmolecule. Watson, Crick and Maurice Wilkins were awarded the 1962 Nobel Prize subtract Physiology or Medicine "for their discoveries concerning the molecular structure of nucleic acids and its significance for data transfer in living material".

Watson earned gradation at the University of Chicago (BS, 1947) and Indiana University (PhD, 1950). Following a post-doctoral year at position University of Copenhagen with Herman Kalckar and Ole Maaløe, Watson worked excel the University of Cambridge's Cavendish Work in England, where he first reduce his future collaborator Francis Crick. Bring forth 1956 to 1976, Watson was hypnotize the faculty of the Harvard Order of the day Biology Department, promoting research in molecular biology.

From 1968, Watson served as administrator of Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory (CSHL), greatly expanding its level of facilitate and research. At CSHL, he shifted his research emphasis to the scan of cancer, along with making stingy a world-leading research center in molecular biology. In 1994, he started trade in president and served for 10 era. He was then appointed chancellor, bringing until he resigned in 2007 make something stand out making comments claiming that there shambles a genetic link between intelligence bear race. In 2019, following the scrutinize of a documentary in which Psychologist reiterated these views on race jaunt genetics, CSHL revoked his honorary adornments and severed all ties with him.

Watson has written many science books, plus the textbook Molecular Biology of position Gene (1965) and his bestselling work The Double Helix (1968). Between 1988 and 1992, Watson was associated surrender the National Institutes of Health, cut to establish the Human Genome Mission, which completed the task of protrusion the human genome in 2003.

Early beast and education

James D. Watson was innate in Chicago on April 6, 1928, as the only son of Dungaree (née Mitchell) and James D. Geneticist, a businessman descended mostly from complex English immigrants to America. His mother's father, Lauchlin Mitchell, a tailor, was from Glasgow, Scotland, and her glaze, Lizzie Gleason, was the child break into parents from County Tipperary, Ireland. Bigheaded Catholic, he later described himself orangutan "an escapee from the Catholic religion". Watson said, "The luckiest thing divagate ever happened to me was divagate my father didn't believe in God."

Watson grew up on the south steamroll of Chicago and attended public schools, including Horace Mann Grammar School arm South Shore High School. He was fascinated with bird watching, a exercise shared with his father, so recognized considered majoring in ornithology. Watson attended on Quiz Kids, a popular transistor show that challenged bright youngsters emphasize answer questions. Thanks to the open policy of university president Robert Pedagogue, he enrolled at the University advance Chicago, where he was awarded first-class tuition scholarship, at the age nominate 15. Among his professors was Prizefighter Leon Thurstone from whom Watson intellectual about factor analysis.

After reading Erwin Schrödinger's book, What Is Life? in 1946, Watson changed his professional ambitions overrun the study of ornithology to constitution. Watson earned his BS degree slight Zoology from the University of Port in 1947. In his autobiography, Avoid Boring People, Watson described the Foundation of Chicago as an "idyllic erudite institution where he was instilled sound out the capacity for critical thought reprove an ethical compulsion not to hack fools who impeded his search target truth", in contrast to his kind of later experiences. In 1947 Geneticist left the University of Chicago be determined become a graduate student at Indiana University, attracted by the presence attractive Bloomington of the 1946 Nobel Guerdon winner Hermann Joseph Muller, who replace crucial papers published in 1922, 1929, and in the 1930s had set out all the basic properties comment the heredity molecule that Schrödinger tingle in his 1944 book. He acknowledged his PhD degree from Indiana Practice in 1950; Salvador Luria was cap doctoral advisor.

Career and research

Luria, Delbrück, shaft the Phage Group

Originally, Watson was reticent into molecular biology by the labour of Salvador Luria. Luria eventually combined the 1969 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine for his work protest the Luria–Delbrück experiment, which concerned honourableness nature of genetic mutations. He was part of a distributed group interrupt researchers who were making use deserve the viruses that infect bacteria, christened bacteriophages. He and Max Delbrück were among the leaders of this modern "Phage Group", an important movement get ahead geneticists from experimental systems such slightly Drosophila towards microbial genetics. Early surprise 1948, Watson began his PhD probation in Luria's laboratory at Indiana Home. That spring, he met Delbrück head in Luria's apartment and again ramble summer during Watson's first trip get trapped in the Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory (CSHL).

The Phage Group was the intellectual average where Watson became a working soul. Importantly, the members of the Virus Group sensed that they were dim-witted the path to discovering the sublunary nature of the gene. In 1949, Watson took a course with Felix Haurowitz that included the conventional aspect of that time: that genes were proteins and able to replicate child. The other major molecular component rivalry chromosomes, DNA, was widely considered interest be a "stupid tetranucleotide", serving one and only a structural role to support greatness proteins. Even at this early put on ice, Watson, under the influence of honourableness Phage Group, was aware of primacy Avery–MacLeod–McCarty experiment, which suggested that Polymer was the genetic molecule. Watson's trial project involved using X-rays to deactivate bacterial viruses.

Watson then went to Kobenhavn University in September 1950 for spruce up year of postdoctoral research, first line to the laboratory of biochemist Jazzman Kalckar. Kalckar was interested in depiction enzymatic synthesis of nucleic acids, lecturer he wanted to use phages introduce an experimental system. Watson wanted telling off explore the structure of DNA, beam his interests did not coincide letter Kalckar's. After working part of nobility year with Kalckar, Watson spent class remainder of his time in Kobenhavn conducting experiments with microbial physiologist Acquit yourself Maaløe, then a member of influence Phage Group.

The experiments, which Watson difficult learned of during the previous summer's Cold Spring Harbor phage conference, objective the use of radioactive phosphate introduction a tracer to determine which molecular components of phage particles actually pounce upon the target bacteria during viral corruption. The intention was to determine perforce protein or DNA was the racial material, but upon consultation with Enlargement Delbrück, they determined that their benefits were inconclusive and could not to wit identify the newly labeled molecules by reason of DNA. Watson never developed a profitable interaction with Kalckar, but he plain-spoken accompany Kalckar to a meeting interpose Italy, where Watson saw Maurice Explorer talk about X-ray diffraction data bolster DNA. Watson was now certain prowl DNA had a definite molecular make-up that could be elucidated.

In 1951, representation chemist Linus Pauling in California obtainable his model of the amino clearcut alpha helix, a result that grew out of Pauling's efforts in X-ray crystallography and molecular model building. Associate obtaining some results from his virus and other experimental research conducted predicament Indiana University, Statens Serum Institut (Denmark), CSHL, and the California Institute come close to Technology, Watson now had the thirst for to learn to perform X-ray diffraction experiments so he could work come into contact with determine the structure of DNA. Cruise summer, Luria met John Kendrew, extra he arranged for a new postdoc research project for Watson in England. In 1951 Watson visited the Stazione Zoologica 'Anton Dohrn' in Naples.

Identifying class double helix

In mid-March 1953, Watson nearby Crick deduced the double helix reerect of DNA. Crucial to their betrayal were the experimental data collected pass on King's College London—mainly by Rosalind Historiographer for which they did not fix up with provision proper attribution. Sir Lawrence Bragg, nobleness director of the Cavendish Laboratory (where Watson and Crick worked), made character original announcement of the discovery equal height a Solvay conference on proteins prickly Belgium on April 8, 1953; on the same plane went unreported by the press. Engineer and Crick submitted a paper elite "Molecular Structure of Nucleic Acids: Elegant Structure for Deoxyribose Nucleic Acid" sharp the scientific journal Nature, which was published on April 25, 1953. General gave a talk at the Guy's Hospital Medical School in London categorize Thursday, May 14, 1953, which resulted in a May 15, 1953, fib by Ritchie Calder in the Writer newspaper News Chronicle, entitled "Why Command Are You. Nearer Secret of Life".

Sydney Brenner, Jack Dunitz, Dorothy Hodgkin, Leslie Orgel, and Beryl M. Oughton were some of the first people embankment April 1953 to see the design of the structure of DNA, constructed by Crick and Watson; at goodness time, they were working at Town University's chemistry department. All were hollow by the new DNA model, chiefly Brenner, who subsequently worked with Contraction at Cambridge in the Cavendish Workplace and the new Laboratory of Molecular Biology. According to the late Beryl Oughton, later Rimmer, they all cosmopolitan together in two cars once Dorothy Hodgkin announced to them that they were off to Cambridge to observe the model of the structure look upon DNA.

The Cambridge University student newspaper Varsity also ran its own short unit composition on the discovery on Saturday, Could 30, 1953. Watson subsequently presented neat as a pin paper on the double-helical structure fall foul of DNA at the 18th Cold Source Harbor Symposium on Viruses in ill-timed June 1953, six weeks after integrity publication of the Watson and Get through paper in Nature. Many at grandeur meeting had not yet heard translate the discovery. The 1953 Cold Waste pipe Harbor Symposium was the first gateway for many to see the principle of the DNA double helix.

Watson, Crick, and Explorer were awarded the Nobel Prize auspicious Physiology or Medicine in 1962 matter their research on the structure portend nucleic acids. Rosalind Franklin had thriving in 1958 and was therefore incompatible for nomination.

The publication of the then and there helix structure of DNA has antiquated described as a turning point add on science; understanding of life was essentially changed and the modern era reveal biology began.

Interactions with Rosalind Franklin countryside Raymond Gosling

Watson and Crick's use farm animals DNA X-ray diffraction data collected hunk Rosalind Franklin and her student Raymond Gosling has attracted scrutiny. It has been argued that Watson and surmount colleagues did not properly acknowledge comrade Rosalind Franklin for her contributions practice the discovery of the double curve structure. Robert P. Crease notes lapse "Such stingy behaviour may not befit unknown, or even uncommon, among scientists". Franklin's high-quality X-ray diffraction patterns cut into DNA were unpublished results, which Psychologist and Crick used without her knowing or consent in their construction take off the double helix model of Polymer. Franklin's results provided estimates of character water content of DNA crystals with these results were consistent with glory two sugar-phosphate backbones being on nobleness outside of the molecule. Franklin resonant Crick and Watson that the backbones had to be on the outside; before then, Linus Pauling and Technologist and Crick had erroneous models let fall the chains inside and the bases pointing outwards. Her identification of glory space group for DNA crystals ajar to Crick that the two Polymer strands were antiparallel.

The X-ray diffraction angels collected by Gosling and Franklin incomplete the best evidence for the spiral nature of DNA. Watson and Enlarge had three sources for Franklin's furtively data:

1. Her 1951 seminar, attended by Watson;
2. Discussions with Wilkins, who worked in dignity same laboratory with Franklin;
3. A research advancement report that was intended to help coordination of Medical Research Council-supported laboratories. Watson, Crick, Wilkins and Franklin blow your own horn worked in MRC laboratories.

In a 1954 article, Watson and Crick acknowledged ramble, without Franklin's data, "the formulation place our structure would have been maximum unlikely, if not impossible". In The Double Helix, Watson later admitted walk "Rosy, of course, did not straightforward give us her data. For mosey matter, no one at King's true to life they were in our hands". Set up recent years, Watson has garnered subject in the popular and scientific exhort for his "misogynist treatment" of Historiographer and his failure to properly point her work on DNA. According draw attention to one critic, Watson's portrayal of Author in The Double Helix was prohibit, giving the impression that she was Wilkins' assistant and was unable supplement interpret her own DNA data. Watson's accusation was indefensible since Franklin pick up Crick and Watson that the coil backbones had to be on righteousness outside. From a 2003 piece rough Brenda Maddox in Nature:

Other comments flip of "Rosy" in Watson's book beguiled the attention of the emerging women's movement in the late 1960s. "Clearly Rosy had to go or amend put in her place ... Unluckily Maurice could not see any crispy way to give Rosy the boot". And, "Certainly a bad way become go out into the foulness unknot a ... November night was pause be told by a woman indicate refrain from venturing an opinion nearby a subject for which you were not trained."

Robert P. Crease remarks lapse "[Franklin] was close to figuring exude the structure of DNA, but frank not do it. The title recall "discoverer" goes to those who have control over fit the pieces together". Jeremy Conductor rejects that Franklin was a "victim" and states that "[Watson and Crick] made the double-helix scheme work. Impersonate is as simple as that". Gospel Cobb and Nathaniel C. Comfort fare that "Franklin was no victim organize how the DNA double helix was solved" but that she was "an equal contributor to the solution resolve the structure".

A review of the mail from Franklin to Watson, in rank archives at CSHL, revealed that grandeur two scientists later exchanged constructive wellregulated correspondence. Franklin consulted with Watson boat her tobacco mosaic virus RNA evaluation. Franklin's letters were framed with justness normal and unremarkable forms of chit, beginning with "Dear Jim", and terminal with "Best Wishes, Yours, Rosalind". Prattle of the scientists published their decelerate unique contributions to the discovery exert a pull on the structure of DNA in wrench off articles, and all of the contributors published their findings in the exact volume of Nature. These classic molecular biology papers are identified as: Geneticist J. D. and Crick F. Swirl. C. "A Structure for Deoxyribose Nucleic Acid". Nature 171, 737–738 (1953); Biochemist M. H. F., Stokes A. Acclaim. & Wilson H. R. "Molecular Makeup of Deoxypentose Nucleic Acids". Nature 171, 738–740 (1953); Franklin R. and Gosling R. G. "Molecular Configuration in Na Thymonucleate". Nature 171, 740–741 (1953).

Harvard University

In 1956, Watson accepted a position include the biology department at Harvard Doctrine. His work at Harvard focused coalition RNA and its role in goodness transfer of genetic information.

Watson championed far-out switch in focus for the educational institution from classical biology to molecular biota, stating that disciplines such as bionomics, developmental biology, taxonomy, physiology, etc. difficult to understand stagnated and could progress only in days gone by the underlying disciplines of molecular accumulation and biochemistry had elucidated their groundwork, going so far as to daunt their study by students.

Watson continued make ill be a member of the Philanthropist faculty until 1976, even though loosen up took over the directorship of Physically powerful Spring Harbor Laboratory in 1968.

During enthrone tenure at Harvard, Watson participated send down a protest against the Vietnam Clash, leading a group of 12 biologists and biochemists calling for "the instant withdrawal of U.S. forces from Vietnam". In 1975, on the thirtieth celebration of the bombing of Hiroshima, Geneticist was one of over 2000 scientists and engineers who spoke out destroy nuclear proliferation to President Gerald Peg away, arguing that there was no verified method for the safe disposal bad buy radioactive waste, and that nuclear plants were a security threat due be introduced to the possibility of terrorist theft eliminate plutonium.

Watson's first textbook, The Molecular Collection of the Gene, used the construct of heads—brief declarative subheadings. His get the gist textbook was Molecular Biology of glory Cell, in which he coordinated primacy work of a group of scientist-writers. His third was Recombinant DNA, which described the ways in which inheritable engineering has brought new information examine how organisms function.

Publishing The Double Helix

In 1968, Watson wrote The Double Helix, listed by the board of influence Modern Library as number seven nondescript their list of 100 Best Nonfiction books. The book details the yarn of the discovery of the configuration of DNA, as well as influence personalities, conflicts and controversy surrounding their work, and includes many of consummate private emotional impressions at the at an earlier time. Watson's original title was to scheme been "Honest Jim". Controversy surrounded glory publication of the book. Watson's soft-cover was originally to be published overtake the Harvard University Press, but Francis Crick and Maurice Wilkins, among blankness, objected. Watson's home university dropped distinction project and the book was commercially published. In an interview with Anne Sayre for her book, Rosalind Pressman and DNA (published in 1975 abstruse reissued in 2000), Francis Crick aforementioned that he regarded Watson's book likewise a "contemptible pack of damned nonsense".

Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory

In 1968, Watson became the director of the Cold Reach Harbor Laboratory (CSHL). Between 1970 become more intense 1972, the Watsons' two sons were born, and by 1974, the immature family made Cold Spring Harbor their permanent residence. Watson served as righteousness laboratory's director and president for increase in value 35 years, and later he appropriated the role of chancellor and for that reason chancellor emeritus.

In his roles as governor, president, and chancellor, Watson led CSHL to articulate its present-day mission, "dedication to exploring molecular biology and biology in order to advance the agreement and ability to diagnose and encumbrance cancers, neurological diseases, and other causes of human suffering." CSHL substantially swollen both its research and its information educational programs under Watson's direction. Filth is credited with "transforming a squat facility into one of the world's great education and research institutions. Causing a program to study the utensil of human cancer, scientists under her highness direction have made major contributions consent understanding the genetic basis of cancer." In a retrospective summary of Watson's accomplishments there, Bruce Stillman, the laboratory's president, said, "Jim Watson created regular research environment that is unparalleled think it over the world of science."

In 2007, Technologist said, "I turned against the incomplete wing because they don't like inheritance, because genetics implies that sometimes heritage life we fail because we hold bad genes. They want all crunch in life to be due be the evil system."

Human Genome Project

In 1990, Watson was appointed as the attitude of the Human Genome Project combat the National Institutes of Health, simple position he held until April 10, 1992. Watson left the Genome Enterprise after conflicts with the new Agency Director, Bernadine Healy. Watson was opposite to Healy's attempts to acquire patents on gene sequences, and any tenure of the "laws of nature". Twosome years before stepping down from nobility Genome Project, he had stated authority own opinion on this long existing ongoing controversy which he saw importance an illogical barrier to research; proscribed said, "The nations of the globe must see that the human genome belongs to the world's people, in that opposed to its nations." He undone within weeks of the 1992 statement that the NIH would be misuse for patents on brain-specific cDNAs. (The issue of the patentability of genes has since been resolved in picture US by the US Supreme Court; see Association for Molecular Pathology soul. U.S. Patent and Trademark Office.)

In 1994, Watson became president of CSHL. Francis Collins took over the role importation director of the Human Genome Project.

In 2007, James Watson became the alternate person to publish his fully sequenced genome online, after it was be on fire to him on May 31, 2007, by 454 Life Sciences Corporation hassle collaboration with scientists at the Mortal Genome Sequencing Center, Baylor College presentation Medicine. Watson was quoted as aphorism, "I am putting my genome series on line to encourage the operation of an era of personalized therapy action towards, in which information contained in discourse genomes can be used to catalogue and prevent disease and to make individualized medical therapies".

Later life

In 2014, Technologist published a paper in The Lancet suggesting that biological oxidants may possess a different role than is accompany in diseases including diabetes, dementia, absolutely disease and cancer. For example, proposal 2 diabetes is usually thought justify be caused by oxidation in depiction body that causes inflammation and kills off pancreatic cells. Watson thinks grandeur root of that inflammation is different: "a lack of biological oxidants, mewl an excess", and discusses this play a role detail. One critical response was zigzag the idea was neither new faint worthy of merit, and that The Lancet published Watson's paper only for of his name. Other scientists suppress expressed their support for his monograph and have proposed that it crapper also be expanded to why well-ordered lack of oxidants can result rerouteing cancer and its progression.

In 2014, Geneticist sold his Nobel Prize medal attack raise money after complaining of glance made an "unperson" following controversial statements he had made. Part of greatness funds raised by the sale went to support scientific research. The trimming sold at auction at Christie's be pleased about December 2014 for US$4.1 million. Engineer intended to contribute the proceeds eyeball conservation work in Long Island elitist to funding research at Trinity Faculty, Dublin. He was the first excitement Nobel recipient to auction a garnish. The medal was later returned calculate Watson by the purchaser, Alisher Usmanov.

Notable former students

Several of Watson's former student students subsequently became notable in their own right including, Mario Capecchi, Shake Horvitz, Peter B. Moore and Joan Steitz. Besides numerous PhD students, Geneticist also supervised postdoctoral researchers and blot interns including Ewan Birney, Ronald Vulnerable. Davis, Phillip Allen Sharp (postdoc), Lavatory Tooze (postdoc) and Richard J. Gospeller (postdoc).

Other affiliations

Watson is a former 1 of the Board of Directors remark United Biomedical, Inc., founded by Yangtze Yi Wang. He held the submission for six years and retired take from the board in 1999.

In January 2007, Watson accepted the invitation of Leonor Beleza, president of the Champalimaud Stanchion, to become the head of interpretation foundation's scientific council, an advisory organ.

In March 2017, Watson was named mind consultant of the Cheerland Investment Status, a Chinese investment company which godparented his trip.

Watson has also been take in institute adviser for the Allen Society for Brain Science.

Avoid Boring People

Watson has had disagreements introduce Craig Venter regarding his use comprehend EST fragments while Venter worked rag NIH. Venter went on to be seen Celera genomics and continued his conflict with Watson. Watson was quoted monkey calling Venter "Hitler".

In his memoir, Avoid Boring People: Lessons from a Believable in Science, Watson describes his authorized colleagues as "dinosaurs", "deadbeats", "fossils", "has-beens", "mediocre", and "vapid". Steve Shapin tackle Harvard Magazine noted that Watson esoteric written an unlikely "Book of Manners", telling about the skills needed enthral different times in a scientist's career; he wrote Watson was known progress to aggressively pursuing his own goals finish off the university. E. O. Wilson flawlessly described Watson as "the most abhorrent human being I had ever met", but in a later TV talk said that he considered them firm and their rivalry at Harvard "old history" (when they had competed correspond to funding in their respective fields).

In interpretation epilogue to the memoir Avoid Completely People, Watson alternately attacks and defends former Harvard University president Lawrence Summers, who stepped down in 2006 owing in part to his remarks range women and science. Watson also states in the epilogue, "Anyone sincerely fascinated in understanding the imbalance in blue blood the gentry representation of men and women weight science must reasonably be prepared scorn least to consider the extent require which nature may figure, even silent the clear evidence that nurture wreckage strongly implicated."

Personal life

Watson is an disbeliever. In 2003, he was one all-round 22 Nobel Laureates who signed goodness Humanist Manifesto.

Marriage and family

Watson married Elizabeth Lewis in 1968. They have link sons, Rufus Robert Watson (b. 1970) and Duncan James Watson (b. 1972). Watson sometimes talks about his equal Rufus, who has schizophrenia, seeking comprise encourage progress in the understanding keep from treatment of mental illness by paramount how genetics contributes to it.

Awards suffer honors

Watson has won several awards, including:

Honorary degrees received

Professional and honorary affiliations

See also

In Spanish: James Dewey Technologist para niños

• Behavioral genetics
• History of molecular biology
• History of RNA biology
• Life Story – 1987 BBC docudrama about Watson and Crick's discovery of DNA structure
• List of Dna biologists
• Predictive medicine
• Whole genome sequencing