Request Fee & Availability

Dr. James Watson

James Dewey Watson entered the University of Chicago when he was only 15. He received his Bachelor of Science degree in Zoology four years later and went on to earn a Ph.D. in the same subject at Indiana University. He was engaged in research at the University of Copenhagen in Denmark when he first learned of the biomolecular research underway at the Cavendish Laboratory of Cambridge University in England. Watson joined Francis Crick in this work at Cambridge in 1951. Together, Watson and Crick attempted to determine the chemical structure of living matter. Although their initial research failed to produce results, they continued their work in secret and, on February 28, 1953, they made a momentous discovery. They had determined the structure of the molecule deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA), of which all living matter is made. In June they published their findings in the British science journal Nature. The article created a sensation. The initials DNA and the elegant model of the double helix, became known around the world. So did Watson and Crick. Their discovery revolutionized the study of biology and genetics, making possible the recombinant DNA techniques used by today's biotechnology industry. Watson became a Senior Research Fellow in Biology at the California Institute of... Next

Back to Search Results