James Watson, the renowned and polarizing co-discoverer of DNA’s double-helix structure, died earlier this November at the age of 97. His passing marks the end of an era in genetics, but also reignites debates about the legacy of a man whose scientific brilliance was matched, some would argue, by his capacity for controversy and division. Watson’s life and work have left an indelible mark not just on science, but on society’s conversations about race, religion, and the ethical boundaries of genetic knowledge.
Back in 1953, Watson, alongside Francis Crick, Maurice Wilkins, and Rosalind Franklin, changed the world. Their discovery of the double-helix structure of DNA revealed the chemical mechanism for heredity and evolution, opening new windows into the immense diversity of life. As Bloomberg notes, this breakthrough explained how a molecule could store and replicate genetic information, giving rise to what Charles Darwin described as “endless forms most beautiful.” Watson, Crick, and Wilkins would go on to share the 1962 Nobel Prize for their work. Franklin, whose pioneering X-ray crystallography was crucial, had died in 1958 and was not eligible for the prize, though history has since recognized her vital role.
But Watson’s legacy is as complicated as it is foundational. In later years, he became infamous for his bigoted and racist views, particularly after a 2007 interview with the Sunday Times of London in which he suggested that Black people were intellectually inferior to whites. “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 was quoted as saying. The public backlash was swift. Despite his subsequent apology, Watson was stripped of his position at Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory, a research institution he had directed for a quarter-century.
Watson’s pattern of making denigrating remarks about people of African descent, women, and gay people had been noted before, but the 2007 interview brought it to a head. According to Bloomberg, even his 2007 memoir Avoid Boring People was laced with similar views, further alienating him from the scientific community. His earlier memoir, The Double Helix, had already angered colleagues by inflating his own contributions and diminishing those of others, including Franklin, about whom he made sexist comments regarding her appearance and scientific competence.
Despite the controversy, Watson’s scientific achievements are undeniable. The structure he helped uncover—DNA’s iconic twisted ladder—revealed that genetic information is stored in sequences of four chemical bases: adenine, thymine, cytosine, and guanine (A, T, C, and G). Each base pairs with its complement, and the human genome contains roughly three billion of these letters across 23 pairs of chromosomes. This code can replicate itself, introducing new variation through reshuffling and mutation.
Watson also served as the initial leader of the Human Genome Project, an ambitious effort to map the entirety of human genetic information. This project, as reported by Bloomberg, led to new technologies for analyzing and engineering DNA, revolutionizing medicine and biology. Gene therapy, once a distant dream, is now used to treat a wide range of genetic and acquired diseases, according to a 2024 article in the U.S. National Library of Medicine. These advances have brought hope to millions, but they’ve also raised new ethical questions—especially for religious communities grappling with the implications of genetic engineering.
Since the discovery of DNA, religious traditions have wrestled with its moral and spiritual consequences. Conservative factions within Judaism, Christianity, and Islam have sometimes clashed with scientific findings related to evolution and genetics. Yet, as Patheos observes, many Christian thinkers now embrace DNA as evidence of divine design. Dr. Alan Gillen, a biology professor at Liberty University, has argued that DNA reveals “God’s design,” a view echoed by organizations like Answers in Genesis. At the same time, DNA evidence powerfully supports evolutionary science, as highlighted in Science News Today (August 5, 2025).
Some Christian communities remain wary of genetic testing, particularly in prenatal contexts. Kelli Swan, a genetics counselor writing for Biologos, notes that “people who self-identify as Christian may be less likely to pursue genetic testing, especially in a prenatal context. … Additionally, medical providers who identify as Christian may be less likely to offer genetic testing to their patients.” Swan, however, sees value in genetic knowledge, even for those opposed to abortion, arguing that it helps families prepare for medical challenges.
Francis Collins, a physician-scientist who succeeded Watson as director of the National Human Genome Research Institute and later led the National Institutes of Health, has been a leading advocate for bridging science and faith. In his 2006 book The Language of God, Collins writes, “The God of the Bible is also the God of the genome. He can be worshipped in the cathedral or in the laboratory. His creation is majestic, awesome, intricate and beautiful—and it cannot be at war with itself. Only we imperfect humans can start such battles. And only we can end them.” Collins champions theistic evolution, the idea that evolution is real but set in motion and guided by God.
The Vatican, too, has weighed in on genetic engineering. In a 2002 statement, it accepted the therapeutic use of germ line genetic engineering but drew the line at genetic enhancement. “Germ line genetic engineering with a therapeutic goal in man would in itself be acceptable,” the Vatican wrote, but using genetics to enhance healthy individuals was deemed morally unacceptable. Experimentation on embryos, even for therapeutic ends, remains a sensitive issue.
The intersection of genetics and spirituality has also sparked more speculative debates. In 2004, geneticist Dean Hamer proposed the “God Gene” hypothesis, suggesting that certain genetic factors may predispose individuals to spiritual experiences. Hamer’s idea, outlined in his book The God Gene: How Faith is Hardwired into our Genes, has been met with skepticism in the scientific community. As Patheos points out, spirituality is likely too complex to be pinned to a single gene, and the hypothesis remains scientifically untested.
Other faiths have their own perspectives. Hinduism, according to some commentators, generally supports genetic medicine for curing disease but opposes genetic enhancement for personal or commercial gain. Buddhism, which lacks a creator deity, sees little conflict with genetic science and emphasizes alleviating suffering—a goal aligned with advances in genetic medicine.
Ironically, the very science Watson helped pioneer has been used to dismantle the racist ideas he espoused. As Bloomberg details, DNA comparisons published in Nature in 2016 showed that all humans share a recent common origin in Africa, dating back about 100,000 years, with modern populations descending from migrations between 50,000 and 80,000 years ago. The dividing lines that have historically been drawn between races have no genetic or biological foundation; they are social constructs, not scientific facts.
Watson’s life is a study in contradictions—a man whose scientific insights transformed our understanding of life, but whose personal views and public statements sowed division and pain. As debates about genetics, race, and religion continue to evolve, his story reminds us that even the brightest minds can be shadowed by deep flaws—and that science itself, when wielded responsibly, can help illuminate the truth behind humanity’s shared origins and common destiny.
