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James Watson, c. 1990
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James Watson, c. 1990
James Watson, c. 1990

James Watson

American geneticist and biophysicist
Also known as: James Dewey Watson
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James Watson (born April 6, 1928, Chicago, Illinois, U.S.—died November 6, 2025, East Northport, New York) was an American geneticist and biophysicist who played a crucial role in the discovery of the molecular structure of deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA), the substance that is the basis of heredity. For this accomplishment he was awarded the 1962 Nobel Prize for Physiology or Medicine with Francis Crick and Maurice Wilkins. Watson enrolled at the University of Chicago when only...

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