Watson biology. Francis Crick and James Watson "Discovery of the Secondary Structure of DNA"

James Dewey Watson (born April 6, 1928 in Chicago, Illinois) is an American biologist. 1962 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine – jointly with Francis Crick and Maurice H. F. Wilkins for their discovery of the structure of the DNA molecule.

Since childhood, thanks to his father, James was fascinated by observing the life of birds. At the age of 12, Watson participated in the popular radio quiz show Quiz Kids for intelligent young people. Thanks to the liberal policies of University of Chicago President Robert Hutchins, he entered the university at the age of 15. After reading Erwin Schrödinger's What Is Life Physically, Watson changed his professional interests from studying ornithology to studying genetics. In 1947, he received a bachelor's degree in zoology from the University of Chicago.
In 1951 he entered the Cavendish Laboratory of the University of Cambridge, where he studied the structure of proteins. There he met the physicist Francis Crick, who was interested in biology.

In 1952, Watson and Crick began working on modeling the structure of DNA. Using Chargaff's Rules and radiographs by Rosalind Franklin and Maurice Wilkins, a double helix model was built. The results of the work were published on May 30, 1953 in the journal Nature. For 25 years, he directed the Cold Spring Harbor Scientific Institute, where he conducted research into the genetics of cancer. From 1989 to 1992, he was the organizer and leader of the Human Genome project for deciphering the sequence of human DNA, at the same time he heads the secret Faust project.
In 2007, he spoke in favor of the fact that representatives of different races have different intellectual abilities, which is genetically determined. In connection with the violation of political correctness, he was required to make a public apology, and in October 2007 Watson officially resigned as head of the laboratory where he worked. However, he continues to lead research in the same laboratory.

According to The Independent, a DNA study of James Watson himself found a high concentration of African and, to a lesser extent, Asian genes. It was later suggested that the analysis of the genome contained significant errors.
Now he is working on the search for genes for mental illness.

James Watson is a pioneer in molecular biology who, along with Francis Crick and Maurice Wilkins, is credited with discovering the DNA double helix. In 1962, they received the Nobel Prize in Medicine for their work.

James Watson: biography

Born in Chicago, USA on April 6, 1928. He attended Horace Mann School and then South Shore High School. At the age of 15, he entered the University of Chicago under an experimental scholarship program for gifted children. Interest in bird life led James Watson to study biology, and in 1947 he was awarded a Bachelor of Science degree in zoology. After reading Erwin Schrödinger's landmark book What is Life? he switched to genetics.

After being rejected by Caltech and Harvard, James Watson won a scholarship to graduate school at Indiana University. In 1950, he was awarded a doctorate in zoology for his work on the effects of X-ray radiation on the reproduction of bacteriophage viruses. From Indiana, Watson moved to Copenhagen and continued his study of viruses as a member of the National Research Council.

Unravel the DNA!

After visiting the New York laboratory at Cold Spring Harbor, where he got acquainted with the results of the research of Hershey and Chase, Watson became convinced that DNA is the molecule responsible for the transmission of genetic information. He was fascinated by the idea that if you understand its structure, you can determine how data is transmitted between cells. Virus research no longer interested him as much as this new direction.

In the spring of 1951, at a conference in Naples, he met Maurice Wilkins. The latter demonstrated the results of the first attempts to use X-ray diffraction to image the DNA molecule. Watson, excited by Wilkins' findings, arrived in Britain in the autumn. He got a job at the Cavendish Laboratory, where he began to collaborate with Francis Crick.

First attempts

In an attempt to unravel the molecular structure of DNA, James Watson and Francis Crick decided to use a model-building approach. Both were convinced that unraveling its structure would play a key role in understanding the transfer of genetic information from parent to daughter cells. Biologists realized that the discovery of the structure of DNA would be a major scientific breakthrough. At the same time, they were aware of the existence of competitors among other scientists, such as Linus Pauling.

Crick and James Watson modeled DNA with great difficulty. None of them had a background in chemistry, so they used standard chemistry textbooks to cut out cardboard chemical bond configurations. A visiting graduate student noted that, according to new data missing from the books, one of his cardboard chemical bonds was used in reverse. Around the same time, Watson attended a lecture by Rosalind Franklin at nearby King's College. Apparently he didn't listen very carefully.

Unforgivable mistake

As a result of the error, scientists' first attempt to build a DNA model failed. James Watson and Francis Crick built a triple helix with nitrogen bases on the outside of the structure. When they presented the model to colleagues, Rosalind Franklin subjected her to harsh criticism. The results of her research clearly proved the existence of two forms of DNA. The wetter one matched the one that Watson and Crick were trying to build, but they created a model of DNA without water present in it. Franklin noted that if her work were correctly interpreted, then the nitrogen bases would be located inside the molecule. Embarrassed by such a public failure, the director of the Cavendish Laboratory recommended that the researchers abandon their approach. Scientists officially took other directions, but in private they continued to think about the problem of DNA.

Peeped discovery

Wilkins, who worked at King's College with Franklin, was in personal conflict with her. Rosalind was so unhappy that she decided to move her research elsewhere. It is not clear how, but Wilkins got his hands on one of her best x-rays of the DNA molecule. She may even have given it to him herself when she was cleaning out her office. But it is certain that he took the image out of the lab without Franklin's permission and showed it to his friend Watson in the Cavendish. Subsequently, in his book The Double Helix, he wrote that at the moment when he saw the picture, his jaw dropped and his pulse quickened. Everything was incredibly simpler than the previously obtained A-form. Also, the black cross of reflections that dominated the photo could only have come from the spiral structure.

Nobel Prize Laureate

The biologists used the new data to create a double-stranded helix model with nitrogenous bases in the A-T and C-G pairs in the center. This pairing immediately suggested to Crick that one side of the molecule could serve as a template for the exact repetition of DNA sequences for the transmission of genetic information during cell division. This second successful model was presented in February 1951. In April 1953 they published their findings in the journal Nature. The article caused a sensation. Watson and Crick found that DNA has the shape of a double helix, or "spiral staircase." Two chains in it were disconnected, like a "lightning", and reproduced the missing parts. Thus, each deoxyribonucleic acid molecule is able to create two identical copies.

The abbreviation DNA and the elegant double helix model have become known throughout the world. Watson and Crick also became famous. Their discovery revolutionized the study of biology and genetics, making possible the genetic engineering methods used in modern biotechnology.

An article in Nature led to them and Wilkins being awarded the Nobel Prize in 1962. The rules of the Swedish Academy allow no more than three scientists to be awarded. Rosalind Franklin died of ovarian cancer in 1958. Wilkins mentioned her in passing.

In the year of receiving the Nobel Prize, Watson married Elizabeth Lewis. They had two sons: Rufus and Duncan.

Continuation of work

James Watson continued to work with many other scientists throughout the 1950s. His genius was the ability to coordinate the work of different people and combine their results for new conclusions. In 1952, he used a rotating X-ray anode to demonstrate the helical structure of the tobacco mosaic virus. From 1953 to 1955 Watson collaborated with scientists at the California Institute of Technology to model the structure of RNA. From 1955 to 1956 he again worked with Crick to unravel the principles of the structure of viruses. In 1956 he moved to Harvard, where he researched RNA and protein synthesis.

scandalous chronicle

In 1968, a controversial book about DNA was published by James Watson. The Double Helix was full of derogatory comments and rancorous descriptions of many of the people involved in the discovery, especially Rosalind Franklin. Because of this, Harvard Press refused to print the book. Nevertheless, the work was published and was a great success. In a later revision, Watson apologized for his treatment of Franklin, stating that he was unaware of the pressure she faced in the 1950s as a female explorer. He profited most from the publication of two textbooks, Molecular Biology of the Gene (1965) and Molecular Biology of the Cell and Recombinant DNA (updated 2002), which are still out of print. In 2007, he published his autobiography, Avoid Boring People. Life lessons in science.

James Watson: contribution to science

In 1968 he became director of the laboratory at Cold Spring Harbor. The institute was experiencing financial difficulties at the time, but Watson proved to be very successful in finding donors. The institution headed by him has become a world leader in terms of the level of work in the field of molecular biology. Its employees uncovered the nature of cancer and discovered its genes for the first time. Every year more than 4,000 scientists from all over the world come to Cold Spring Harbor - so deep is the influence of the Institute for International Genetic Research.

In 1990, Watson was appointed director of the Human Genome Project at the National Institutes of Health. He used his fundraising skills to run the project until 1992. He left due to a conflict over the patenting of genetic information. James Watson believed that this would only interfere with the research of the scientists working on the project.

Controversial statements

His stay at Cold Harbor ended abruptly. On October 14, 2007, on his way to a conference in London, he was asked about world events. James Watson, a world-famous scientist, replied that he was overshadowed by the prospects for Africa. According to him, all modern social policy is based on the fact that the intelligence of its inhabitants is the same as that of the rest, but the test results indicate that this is not the case. He continued his thought with the idea that progress in Africa is hampered by poor genetic material. A public outcry against this remark forced Cold Spring Harbor to ask for his resignation. The scientist later apologized and retracted his statements, saying that "there is no scientific basis for this." In his farewell speech, he stated his vision that "ultimate victory (over cancer and mental illness) is within our grasp."

Despite these setbacks, geneticist James Watson continues to make controversial claims today. In September 2013 at the Allen Institute in Seattle, at a brain study meeting, he again made a controversial statement about his belief that the increase in diagnosed hereditary diseases may be due to later birth of children. “The older you get, the more likely you are to have defective genes,” Watson said, also suggesting that genetic material should be collected from people under 15 years of age for further conception through in vitro fertilization. In his opinion, this would reduce the chances that the life of parents will be spoiled by the birth of a child with physical or mental disorders.

The discovery of the DNA double helix was one of the key milestones in the history of world biology; We owe this discovery to the duet of James Watson and Francis Crick. Although Watson earned himself a bad name for certain statements, it is simply impossible to overestimate the importance of his discovery.

James Dewey Watson - American molecular biologist, geneticist and zoologist; He is best known for his participation in the discovery of the structure of DNA in 1953. Winner of the Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine.

After successfully graduating from the University of Chicago and Indiana University, Watson spent some time doing research in chemistry with biochemist Herman Kalckar in Copenhagen. He later moved to the Cavendish Laboratory at the University of Cambridge, where he first met his future colleague and comrade Francis Crick.

Watson and Crick came up with the idea of the DNA double helix in mid-March 1953 while studying experimental data collected by Rosalind Franklin and Maurice Wilkins. The discovery was announced by Sir Lawrence Bragg, director of the Cavendish Laboratory; this happened at a Belgian scientific conference on April 8, 1953. An important statement, however, the press actually did not notice. On April 25, 1953, an article about the discovery was published in the scientific journal Nature. Other biologists and a number of Nobel laureates quickly appreciated the monumental nature of the discovery; some even called it the greatest scientific discovery of the 20th century.

In 1962, Watson, Crick and Wilkins received the Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine for their discovery. The fourth participant in the project, Rosalind Franklin, died in 1958 and, as a result, could no longer claim the prize. Watson also received a monument at the American Museum of Natural History in New York for his discovery; since such monuments are erected only in honor of American scientists, Crick and Wilkins were left without monuments.

Watson is to this day considered one of the greatest scientists in history; however, as a person, many openly disliked him. James Watson has been the subject of quite high-profile scandals several times; one of them was directly related to his work - the fact is that in the course of working on the DNA model, Watson and Crick used the data obtained by Rosalind Franklin, without her permission. With Franklin's partner, Wilkins, scientists worked quite actively; Rosalind herself, quite possibly, could not have known until the end of her life how important the role her experiments played in understanding the structure of DNA.

From 1956 to 1976, Watson worked at the Harvard Biology Department; During this period, he was mainly interested in molecular biology.

In 1968, Watson received a director's position at the Cold Spring Harbor laboratory in Long Island, New York (Long Island, New York); through his efforts, the level of quality of research work in the laboratory has considerably risen, and funding has improved markedly. Watson himself during this period was mainly engaged in cancer research; along the way, he made the laboratory subject to him one of the best centers for molecular biology in the world.

In 1994, Watson became president of the research center, in 2004 - rector; in 2007, he left his position after rather unpopular statements about the existence of a connection between the level of intelligence and origin.

From 1988 to 1992, Watson worked actively with the National Institutes of Health, helping to develop the Human Genome Project.

Watson was also notorious for overtly provocative and often offensive comments about his colleagues; among others, he went through in his speeches and according to Franklin (already after her death). A number of his statements could be perceived as attacks on homosexuals and fat people.

The discovery of the existence of a duplicate DNA strand proved to be a turning point in biology. Made by Englishman Francis Crick and American James Watson. In 1962, scientists were awarded the Nobel Prize.

They are considered among the smartest people on the planet. Crick made many discoveries in various fields, not limited to genetics. Watson earned himself a bad name for a number of statements, but this characterizes him more as an extraordinary person.

Childhood

Francis Crick was born in 1916 in Northampton, England. His father was a successful businessman and ran a shoe factory. He went to a regular high school. After the war, the income in the family decreased significantly, the head decided to move the family to London. Francis graduated from Mill Hill School, where he was fond of mathematics, physics and chemistry. He later studied at University College London and was recognized as a Bachelor of Science.

Then his future colleague, James Watson, was born on another continent. Since childhood, he was different from ordinary children, even then a bright future was predicted for James. He was born in Chicago in 1928. His parents surrounded him with love and joy.

The teacher in the first grade noted his mind, inappropriate for his age. After the 3rd grade, he took part in an intellectual quiz for children on the radio. Watson showed amazing abilities. Later he will be invited to the Chicago four-year University, where he will be interested in ornithology. Having a bachelor's degree, the young man decides to continue his studies at the University of Bloomington in Indiana.

Interest in the sciences

At Indiana University, Watson is engaged in genetics and falls into the field of view of the biologist Salvador Lauria and the brilliant geneticist J. Meller. The collaboration resulted in a dissertation on the effect of X-rays on bacteria and viruses. After a brilliant defense, James Watson becomes a doctor of science.

Further research on bacteriophages will take place in distant Denmark - the University of Copenhagen. The scientist is actively working on compiling a DNA model and studying its properties. His colleague is the talented biochemist Herman Kalkar. However, the fateful meeting with Francis Crick will take place at the University of Cambridge. Aspiring scientist Watson, who is only 23 years old, will invite Francis to his laboratory for joint work.

Prior to World War II, Crick studied the viscosity of water in various states. Later he had to work for the Naval Ministry - developing mines. The turning point will be the reading of the book by E. Schrödinger. The author's ideas prompted Francis to study biology. Since 1947 he has been working at the Cambridge laboratory, studying X-ray diffraction, organic chemistry and biology. Its leader was Max Perutz, who studies the structure of proteins. Crick develops an interest in determining the chemical basis of the genetic code.

Deciphering DNA

In the spring of 1951, a symposium was held in Naples, where James met the English scientist Maurice Wilkins and researcher Rosalyn Franklin, who also conduct DNA analysis. They determined that the structure of the cell is similar to a spiral staircase - it has a double spiral shape. Their experimental data prompted Watson and Crick to further research. They decide to determine the composition of nucleic acids and seek the necessary funding - grants from the National Society for the Study of Infantile Paralysis.

James Watson

In 1953, they will inform the world about the structure of DNA and present a complete model of the molecule.

In just 8 months, two brilliant scientists will summarize the results of their experiments with the available data. In a month, a three-dimensional model of DNA will be made from balloons and cardboard.

Lawrence Bragg, director of the Cavendish Laboratory, announced the discovery at a Belgian conference on April 8. But the importance of the discovery was not immediately recognized. Only on April 25, after the publication of an article in the scientific journal Nature, did biologists and other laureates appreciate the value of new knowledge. The event was referred to as the greatest discovery of the century.

In 1962, the British Wilkins and Crick with the American Watson were nominated for the Nobel Prize in Medicine. Unfortunately, Rosalind Franklin passed away 4 years ago and was not among the applicants. There was a loud scandal about this, since the model used data from Franklin's experiments, although she did not give official permission. Crick and Watson worked closely with her partner Wilkins, and Rosalind herself did not learn the importance of her experiments for medicine until the end of her life.

A monument was erected to Watson in New York for the discovery. Wilkins and Crick did not receive such an honor because they did not have American citizenship.

Career

After discovering the structure of DNA, Watson and Crick part ways. James becomes a senior fellow in the Department of Biology at the University of California, and later a professor. In 1969, he was offered the position of head of the Long Island Molecular Biology Laboratory. The scientist refuses to work at Harvard, where he has worked since 1956. The rest of his life he will devote to neuroscience, the study of the influence of viruses and DNA on cancer. Under the leadership of the scientist, the laboratory reached a new level of research quality, and its funding increased significantly. Gold Spring Harbor has become the world's premier center for the study of molecular biology. From 1988 to 1992, Watson was actively involved in a number of projects to study the human genome.

Crick, after world recognition, becomes the head of a biological laboratory in Cambridge. In 1977 he moved to San Diego, California to study the mechanisms of dreams and vision.

Francis Creek

In 1983, with the mathematician Gr. Mitchison, he suggested that dreams are the ability of the brain to free itself from useless and excessive associations that have been accumulated during the day. Scientists have called dreams the prevention of nervous system overload.

In 1981, Francis Crick's book "Life as it is: its origin and nature" was published, where the author suggests the origin of life on Earth. According to him, the first inhabitants on the planet were microorganisms from other space objects. This explains the similarity of the genetic code of all living objects. The scientist died in 2004 from oncology. He was cremated and his ashes scattered over the Pacific Ocean.

Francis Creek

In 2004, Watson became rector, but in 2007 he had to leave this position for his statement about the genetic connection between origin (race) and the level of intelligence. A scientist who likes to comment provocatively and offensively on the work of her colleagues, Franklin was no exception. Some of the statements were taken as attacks against obese people and homosexuals.

In 2007, Watson released his autobiography, Avoid the Boredom. In 2008, he gave a public lecture at Moscow State University. Watson is called the first person with a completely sequenced genome. Currently, the scientist is working to find the genes responsible for mental illness.

Crick and Watson opened up new possibilities for the development of medicine. It is impossible to overestimate the importance of their scientific activity.

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James Dewey Watson (April 6, 1928, Chicago, Illinois) is an American biologist. Winner of the Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine 1962 - together with Francis Crick and Maurice H. F. Wilkins for the discovery of the structure of the DNA molecule.

Since childhood, thanks to his father, James was fascinated by observing the life of birds. At the age of 12, Watson participated in the popular radio quiz show Quiz Kids for intelligent young people. Thanks to the liberal policies of University of Chicago President Robert Hutchins, he entered the university at the age of 15. After reading Erwin Schrödinger's What Is Life Physically, Watson changed his professional interests from studying ornithology to studying genetics. In 1947 he received a bachelor's degree in zoology from the University of Chicago.

In 1951 he entered the Cavendish Laboratory of the University of Cambridge, where he studied the structure of proteins. There he met the physicist Francis Crick, who was interested in biology.

In 1952, Watson and Crick began working on modeling the structure of DNA. Using Chargaff's Rules and radiographs by Rosalind Franklin and Maurice Wilkins, a double helix model was built.

For 25 years, he directed the Cold Spring Harbor Scientific Institute, where he conducted research into the genetics of cancer.

From 1989 to 1992, he was the organizer and leader of the Human Genome project to decipher the sequence of human DNA, at the same time he heads the secret Faust project.

In 2007, he spoke in favor of the fact that representatives of different races have different intellectual abilities, which is genetically determined. In connection with the violation of political correctness, he was required to make a public apology, and in October 2007 Watson officially resigned as head of the laboratory where he worked. However, he continues to lead research in the same laboratory.

Books (3)

Avoid boredom. Lessons from a life lived in science

The famous biologist James Watson became famous for discovering (together with Francis Crick) the structure of DNA in 1953, for which he received the Nobel Prize. Watson later became the first director of the National Center for Human Genome Research (USA) and led the famous Human Genome Project.

In his autobiographical book, Avoid the Boredom, Watson writes about his famous discovery, about how American science works, and about the lessons he was able to learn from his own life experience, as well as from the experience of observing other people. It is this last circumstance that makes Watson's book not only fascinating, but also very useful:

Avoid Boredom is both a thorough memoir of a great scientist and a kind of manual for achieving success in science. Talking about his life path, the author gives the reader good and practical advice on how to make a successful career in science and, perhaps one day, make an outstanding discovery himself.

Molecular biology of the gene

The book, written by Nobel Prize winner J. Watson, occupies a special place in the literature on molecular biology.

It is an excellent guide to this new, rapidly developing field of biology and summarizes the most up-to-date data. The principles of the chromosome theory of heredity, the interaction of biologically active molecules, the structure and function of membranes, the role of various metabolic regulators, the viral theory of cancer, questions and problems of genetic engineering are considered.

The book is written exceptionally clearly, logically and is read with great interest.

double helix

The author of the book is a prominent American scientist James D. Watson. Everyone who followed the latest achievements in world biology must have heard his name next to the names of the Englishmen Francis Crick and Maurice Wilkins. These three scientists, who received the Nobel Prize in 1962, made one of the most significant discoveries in biology of the 20th century: they established the structure of the DNA molecule, the genetic material of a cell that stores information about the hereditary characteristics of an organism.

The Double Helix, an autobiographical story in which Watson details how he and his co-authors came to this discovery, introduces the reader to the "kitchen" of big science. The laid-back style of presentation, the vivid characteristics of the characters - famous American and European scientists, the figurative literary language will attract the attention of not only scientists, but also fans of popular science literature to the book.