“His essential discoveries in the field of biology were instrumental in charting the course of science as we know it today,” stated Leonor Beleza in a written statement, reacting to the death of James Watson at the age of 97, announced today.
James Watson participated in the discovery of the double helix structure of the DNA molecule (which stores the genetic information of living organisms), earning him the Nobel Prize in Medicine in 1962 alongside British scientist Francis Crick and New Zealand’s Maurice Wilkins.
The former Health Minister recalled that Watson was the first president of the Scientific Council of the Champalimaud Foundation and, in that role, organized a meeting in 2005 at the Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory. There, he worked alongside “some of the most renowned scientists in the world” to define “the operational model of the Foundation, focusing on the translation between research and clinical practice.”
“He was with us almost from the beginning and was absolutely brilliant in his vision and intelligence,” remarked Leonor Beleza, recalling “his words and eloquence at the inauguration of the Champalimaud Center for the Unknown in 2010, and his ongoing inspiration.”
“The Champalimaud Foundation will forever be indebted to James Watson and he is part of the Foundation’s DNA,” she noted.
James Watson passed away on Thursday in New York at the age of 97.
His death was confirmed by the Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory and his son Rufus, who did not specify a cause.
Watson served as a professor at Harvard University and was the head of the Human Genome Project, which mapped out the more than 20,000 genes present in human chromosomes.
According to The Washington Post, the geneticist was professionally ostracized in later years for comments deemed sexist and racist.
At the age of 80, he resigned from his position at the Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory, and six years later, he auctioned off his Nobel medal.
