The Brief

James Watson, the man who helped discover the double-helix structure of DNA in the 50s, has died.

Watson was 97 years old.

He died in hospice after a brief illness, according to his son.

Breakthrough discovery of DNA double-helix shape

The backstory:

Watson, along with Francis Crick and Maurice Wilkins, discovered that deoxyribonucleic acid, or DNA, is a double helix, consisting of two strands that coil around each other to create what resembles a long, gently twisting ladder.

The trio made the discovery in 1953 and went on to win the Nobel Prize in 1962.

The breakthrough helped suggest how hereditary information is stored and how cells duplicate their DNA when they divide.

Big picture view:

The discovery helped open the door to more recent developments such as tinkerin

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