Dr. James Watson, the American molecular biologist who co-discovered the double helix structure of DNA, a breakthrough that transformed modern science and medicine, died on Thursday, November 6, 2025. He was 97. His death at a hospice in East Northport, New York, was confirmed by the Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory (CSHL), the research institution he led for decades.

Watson’s death closes a chapter on one of the 20th century's most significant scientific achievements. In 1953, alongside British scientist Francis Crick, he unveiled the elegant, twisting-ladder structure of deoxyribonucleic acid, the molecule that carries the genetic instructions for all known organisms. This discovery, published in the journal *Nature*, laid the foundation for the age of genetics, enabling revolutionary advances in medicine, agriculture, and forensics. For this work, Watson, Crick, and Maurice Wilkins were awarded the Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine in 1962.

However, the story of the discovery was complex from the start. The trio’s model relied critically on the work of English chemist and X-ray crystallographer Dr. Rosalind Franklin, whose data and iconic “Photo 51” image were shown to Watson without her permission or knowledge. Franklin died of ovarian cancer in 1958 and was never awarded a Nobel, which is not given posthumously.

A Legacy of Scientific Racism

For many, particularly in Kenya and across Africa, Watson’s scientific brilliance is irrevocably overshadowed by a history of racist and sexist remarks. His most inflammatory comments, which caused global outrage, directly targeted people of African descent. In a 2007 interview with *The Sunday Times* of London, Watson stated he was “inherently gloomy about the prospect of Africa” because “all our social policies are based on the fact that their intelligence is the same as ours — whereas all the testing says not really.” He added that people who have to deal with Black employees find it is “not true” that they are equal.

The backlash was immediate. The London Science Museum cancelled a planned lecture, and CSHL forced him into retirement from his position as chancellor. Yet, more than a decade later, he reaffirmed his views. In a 2019 PBS documentary, when asked if his views on the link between race and intelligence had changed, he replied, “No, not at all... There's a difference on the average between blacks and whites on IQ tests. I would say the difference is, it's genetic.”

In response, Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory, the institution he had shaped, severed all remaining ties, stripping him of his honorary titles of chancellor emeritus, Oliver R. Grace professor emeritus, and honorary trustee. The laboratory issued a statement calling his opinions “unsubstantiated and reckless” and “reprehensible, unsupported by science.”

The View from Kenya

Watson's comments were met with sharp condemnation from Kenyan academics and leaders. Following his 2007 remarks, Professor Zablon Nthamburi of Kenyatta University told the *Nation*, “It is very sad that in this day and age, people like Dr. Watson should be drawing links between race and intelligence.” He noted that such views have historically been used to justify injustices against Africans. Dr. Kanjenje Gakombe, director of Metropolitan Hospital in Nairobi, argued that Watson’s claims were likely based on “inherently skewed IQ tests that did not take into consideration individual experiences and immediate environment.”

The controversy over Watson’s views highlights a powerful counter-narrative emerging from the continent. Far from the gloomy picture painted by Watson, Africa is now recognized as the key to the future of genetic medicine precisely because it is the cradle of humanity and holds more genetic diversity than any other continent on Earth. However, less than 2% of genomic data used in research comes from people of African descent, a disparity that hinders the development of more effective diagnostics and treatments for a global population.

Initiatives like the Human Heredity and Health in Africa (H3Africa) consortium are working to close this gap by empowering African scientists to lead large-scale genomics research on the continent. This work is already yielding critical insights into diseases like sickle cell anemia and HIV, and has the potential to unlock cures that will benefit all of humanity. As Cameroonian geneticist Ambroise Wonkam, president of the African Society of Human Genetics, has stated, failing to include African DNA in research means “we can't provide proper care” and are forced to rely on data that does not reflect the continent's people. This modern reality stands as a firm rebuke to the discredited theories championed by a man whose legacy remains a complex and troubling paradox: a genius who unlocked the code of life but failed to see the equal value of all the people it creates.