人類的精英——詹姆斯.沃森

I think people are born curious and they have it pounded out of them.

——James Watson

我認為人生來便對世界充滿著好奇，他們卻把好奇打擊掉。

——詹姆斯·沃森

James Watson was born and raised in Chicago， Illinois. He was a precocious1 student， and entered the University of Chicago when he was only 15. He received his Bachelor of Science degree in Zoology four years later，and went on to earn a Ph. D. in the same subject at Indiana University. He was engaged in research at the University of Copenhagen in Denmark when he first learned of the biomolecular2 research underway at the Cavendish Laboratory of Cambridge University in England. Watson joined Francis Crick in this work at Cambridge in 1951.

Together， Watson and Crick attempted to determine the chemical structure of living matter. When their initial research failed to produce results， the directors of the laboratory ordered them to end their investigation， but they continued their work in secret and， on Febmary 28，1953， they made a momentous discovery.

The two scientists had determined the structure of the molecule deoxyribonucleic acid(DNA)3， of which all living matter is made. In June they published their findings in the British science journal Nature. The article created a sensation. The DNA molecule， Watson and Crick had found， is shaped like a double helix4， or \"gently twisted ladder.\" The two chains of the helix unlink \"like a zipper，\" and reproduce their missing halves. In this way， each molecule of DNA is able to create two identical copies of itself.

The initials DNA and the elegant model of the double helix， became known around the world. So did Watson and Crick. Their discovery revolutionized the study of biology and genetics， making possible the recombinant DNA5 techniques used by today's biotechnology industry.

James Watson became a Senior Research Fellow in Biology at the California Institute of Technology， before returning to Cambridge in 1955. The following year he moved to Harvard University，where he became Professor of Biology， a post he held until 1976.

In recognition of their discovery， Francis Crick and James Watson shared the 1962 Nobel Prize for Physiology and Medicine with Maurice Wilkins. In 1968 Watson published his account of the DNA discovery， The Double Helix. The book became an international best-seller， but some in the scientific community were scandalized by Watson's less-than-flattering portrayal of his own colleagues. Throughout the ensuing controversy6， Watson insisted that devotion to the truth was as essential in writing for the general public as it is in scientific research.

In the same year， James Watson married the former Elizabeth Lewis. They have two sons:Rufus and Duncan.

While continuing his duties at Harvard， James Watson became Director of the Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory on Long Island. At the time， this institution was in serious financial difficulty but， under Watson's vigorous leadership， it became financially sound and is now an international leader in genetic research. Scientists working under Watson at Cold Spring Harbor uncovered the molecular nature of cancer and identified cancer genes for the first time. Every year over 4 000 scientists from around the world come to Cold Spring Harbor to study; the Institute's influence over international genetic research is profound.

In 1988 ，Watson accepted an invitation from the National Institute of Health to become Associate Director of the Human Genome Project7. The following year， Watson became Director of the project and guided it skillfully through the storm of controversy surrounding geneticresearch. This undertaking has applied the kind of resources usually associated with military and aerospace research to creating a complete directory of the genetic code of the human species. To do this， researchers must determine the location， chemical composition and function of 50 000 to 100 000 separate genes. This will permit the development of tests， and possibly cures， for thousands of hereditary disorders or diseases which have some genetic component.

Watson left the Genome project in 1992， having seen it off to a successful start. Hecontinued his work at Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory throughout this period， and in 1994 became President of that institution， and later served as its Chancellor.

Universities and governments around the world have honored James Watson with honorary degrees and decorations， including the Presidential Medal of Freedom. Apart from his many scientific papers and the bestselling Double Helix， Watson's writings include:The DNA Story， Molecular Biology of the Gene， Molecular Biology of the Cell Recombinant DNA:A Short Course， and his 2003 memoir， Genes， Girls and Gamow.

Over the years， James Watson occasionally attracted controversy with his uninhibited8 remarks on a variety of topics. In 2007， he apologized publicly after an interview in which he speculated that Africa's progress might be hindered by genetic inheritance. He retracted the statement and regretted any offense caused by his remarks. Shortly thereafter， he retired as Chancellor of Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory and resigned from the Laboratory's Board of Directors， after 43 years of service. In his resignation statement， he offered the hope that genetic science would soon conquer cancer and mental illness. \"Final victory is within our grasp，\" he said. \"I wish to be among those at the victory line.\"

詹姆斯·沃森生長在美國伊利諾斯州的芝加哥。他是一個神童，15歲就進入芝加哥大學。4年之后，他取得了動物學學士學位，繼而在印第安納大學攻讀該學科的博士學位。當他得知英國劍橋大學卡文迪許實驗室正在進行生物分子研究時便在丹麥的哥本哈根大學投身于該項研究。1951年，沃森加入了弗朗西斯·克里克在劍橋對此項目的研究。

沃森和克里克試圖確定生物的化學結構。當他們最初的研究沒能得出結論時，實驗室主任命令他們停止研究，但他們繼續秘密進行，終于在1953年2月28日，他們有了重大發現。

這兩位科學家確定了構成生物的脫氧核糖核酸(DNA)分子的結構。6月，他們在英國著名科學雜志(自然)上發表了他們的發現。文章引起了轟動。沃森和克里克發現的DNA分子是雙螺旋結構或者說像是“輕輕扭曲的梯子”。螺旋結構的雙鏈像拉鏈一樣拉開，各自繁殖出缺失的一半。用這種方式，每個DNA分子都可以復制成兩個與母體完全相同的分子。

脫氧核糖核酸的首字母DNA和其精美的雙螺旋模型變得世界著名。沃森和克里克也出了名。他們的發現徹底變革了生物學和遺傳學的研究，使得重組DNA技術用于今天的生物工藝行業變成可能。

在1955年回到劍橋之前，詹姆斯·沃森是加州理工學院的生物高級研究員。1956年，他去了哈佛大學，直到1976年都擔任著該校的生物教授一職。

1962年諾貝爾生理學和醫學獎同時授予了弗朗西斯·克里克、詹姆斯·沃森和莫里斯·威爾金斯，以表彰他們的發現。1968年沃森出版了他對DNA發現的解釋說明——《雙螺旋》，這本書很快成為國際性的暢銷書籍，但是沃森在書中對自己同事不那么恭維的描寫卻惹怒了學術界中的一些人。面對接踵而至的爭論，沃森始終堅持說對真理的忠誠，不管是為大眾寫作還是在科學研究中，都是一樣重要。

同年，詹姆斯·沃森和前任妻子伊麗莎白·路易斯結婚。他們生了兩個兒子：魯弗斯和鄧肯。

在哈佛任生物教授的同時，詹姆斯·沃森還擔任了長島冷泉港實驗室的主任。當時這個機構正處在嚴重的財政困難中，而在沃森強有力的領導下，不但變得資金充裕更成為了現今遺傳研究的領頭羊。冷泉港的科學家們在沃森的帶領下揭露了癌細胞分子特性并首次確定了癌癥基因。每年，全球各地超過4000位的科學家采到冷泉港學習，該實驗室在全球基因學研究方面產生了深遠的影響。

1988年，沃森接受美國國立衛生研究院的邀請成為人類基因組工程的副主任。第二年，沃森擔任該工程的主任并巧妙帶領項目在對基因研究撲天蓋地的爭論中進行。這項研究提供的資源，通常連同軍事研究太空研究的成果一起，編錄出人類基因密碼的完全手冊。為此，研究人員必須確定5萬到10萬種獨立基因的位置、化學構成和結構。這會促進檢驗甚至是治療水平的進步，因為數以萬計的遺傳錯亂或疾病擁有共同的基因組成。

1992年沃森在基因組工程有了良好開端之后便告別了該項目。他在該時期一直繼續著在冷泉港實驗室的工作。1994年，他成為了實驗室主席，之后擔任名譽主席。

詹姆斯·沃森收到了來自大學和政府的很多榮譽及嘉獎，其中包括總統自由勛章。除了大量科學論文和最暢銷的《雙螺旋》外，沃森還著有《DNA的故事》、《基因的分子生物學》、《細胞分子生物學》和《重組體DNA短期課程》以及2003年的自傳《基因·女郎·伽莫夫》。

多年來，沃森不時因對許多話題口無遮攔的評論而引起爭論。2007年，他在接受采訪時表示他認為非洲的發展受限可能是因為不良的遺傳基因引起的。之后他公開道歉并收回之前的言論，對因此產生的一切傷害感到抱歉。不久，他結束了長達43年的供職，辭去冷泉港實驗室名譽主席一職并退出實驗室董事會，宣布退休。在他的退休聲明中，他表示希望基因科學可以很快征服癌癥和神經疾病。“最后的勝利近在咫尺，”他說，“希望我也是站在勝利終點的一員。”

注釋

①precocious：adj．(兒童的智力等)過早發育的，早熟的

②biomolecular：n．生物分子學

③deoxyribonucleic acid(DNA)：n. 脫氧核糖核酸

④helix：n．螺旋，螺旋狀物

⑤recombinant DNA：n. 重組DNA

⑥controversy：n．爭議，糾紛

⑦Human Genome Project：n. 人類基因組工程

⑧uninhibited：adj. 不受約束的