James Watson

James Watson

James D Watson, co-discoverer of the DNA helix and father of the Human Genome Project, stands inside a laboratory at the Baylor College of Medicine's Human Genome Sequencing Center in Houston May 31, 2007. REUTERS/Richard Carson (UNITED STATES)/File Photo

James D Watson: The genius behind DNA's double helix and the controversy that overshadowed it

Watson’s 1953 discovery revealed the structure of DNA, the molecule that carries hereditary information, paving the way for genetic engineering, gene therapy and modern biotechnology

James D Watson, co-discoverer of the DNA helix and father of the Human Genome Project, stands inside a laboratory at the Baylor College of Medicine's Human Genome Sequencing Center in Houston May 31, 2007. REUTERS/Richard Carson (UNITED STATES)/File Photo

James Watson, co-discoverer of DNA's double helix, dead at 97