Watson and Crick

James Dewey Watson (born April 6, 1928) is one of the discoverers of the structure of the DNA molecule. Born in Chicago, Illinois, he enrolled at the age of 15, earned a B.Sc. in Zoology at the University of Chicago in 1947 and a Ph.D. in Zoology at Indiana University at Bloomington in 1950 before heading to Copenhagen for postdoctoral work.

In 1952, he started at Cavendish Laboratory, where he met Francis Crick. Building on the X-ray diffraction research of Rosalind Franklin and Maurice Wilkins, they together deduced the double helix structure of DNA, which they published in the journal Nature on April 25, 1953. Watson, Crick, and Wilkins were awarded the Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine for their discovery in 1962.

Francis Harry Compton Crick, OM (June 8, 1916 – July 28, 2004) was one of the discoverers of the structure of the DNA molecule. Born in Northampton, England, he studied physics at University College London, and became a B.Sc. in 1937. After World War II, during which he worked on magnetic and acoustic mines, he began studying biology.

In 1951, he started working with James D. Watson at Cavendish Laboratory at the University of Cambridge in England. Building on the X-ray research of Rosalind Franklin, they together developed the proposal of the helical structure of DNA, which they published in 1953, and for which both were awarded the Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine in 1962.

Watson is an outspoken atheist, known for his frank opinions on politics, religion, and the role of science in society. He has been considered to hold a number of controversial views.

He is for instance a strong proponent of genetically modified crops, holding that the benefits far outweigh any plausible environmental dangers, and that many of the arguments against GM crops are unscientific or irrational. A discussion of his views on these matters are covered in some depth in his book DNA: The Secret of Life (2003), particularly in chapter 6.