American molecular biologist who co-discovered the double helix structure of DNA with Francis Crick (1953) — winning the Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine (1962) — but who is also notorious for using Rosalind Franklin's data without credit and for making racist statements that ended his institutional career.
Co-determined the double helix structure of DNA — Watson and Crick's model (March 1953) explained how genetic information is stored and replicated, launching molecular biology as a discipline; Watson's later popular account (The Double Helix) created the narrative of competitive science.
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