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James Watson dies: Why Nobel-winning scientist lost his titles, sold his medal in 2014
James Watson, the American scientist who co-discovered the structure of DNA and won the 1962 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine, has died.
James Watson, the American scientist who co-discovered the structure of DNA and won the 1962 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine, has died. He was 97 years old. He passed away on Thursday in East Northport, NY, on Long Island, his son Duncan confirmed.
Watson was transferred to a hospice from a hospital this week, where he had been treated for an infection. Born April 6, 1928, in Chicago, he shared the Nobel with Francis Crick and Maurice Wilkins for their 1953 model of DNA's double helix.
Read More: James Watson dies: DNA pioneer's racist comments, controversies resurface
Watson's legacy, however, is marred by controversy. In 2007, he resigned from CSHL after remarks suggesting African intelligence was genetically inferior, claims widely condemned as racist and unsubstantiated.
In 2007, Watson told the Times of London that he believed testing indicated the intelligence of Africans was “not really ... the same as ours.”
The backlash intensified in 2019 when a PBS documentary aired his views, leading CSHL to strip his honorary titles, including chancellor emeritus and professor emeritus, on January 1, 2020.
Director Bruce Stillman stated the views were "repugnant, unsupported by science," severing ties after 40 years. Watson, who had served as CSHL director from 1994 to 2007, responded by saying he “never meant harm.”
Why James Watson sold his Nobel medal
Financially strained, Watson sold his Nobel medal in 2014 at Christie's auction for $4.1 million to Alisher Usmanov, a Russian billionaire and metals magnate. The sale, his only Nobel-related artifact, was prompted by retirement costs and a rift with CSHL over his comments.
Usmanov, at the time, said that he will return the medal to Watson. “In my opinion, a situation in which an outstanding scientist has to sell a medal recognising his achievements is unacceptable,” the billionaire said in a statement.
