Scream Sometimes babies cry just to relieve tension. In this case, parents are offered to give the baby an opportunity to shout for an hour or two. It’s hard for me to agree with such advice. It seems that they are given by people whose children are never strong

CROWN OF A RAVEN For several days in a row a raven flew up to the roof of his house and with his sinister croaking did not give rest to either the owner or his family. M.I. Pilyaev. Old Moscow At the end of April 1792 in Avdotin, life flowed sadly, mundane and quiet. Many days have passed

WATSON, James Eli (Watson, James Eli, 1864? -1948), US Senator 65 If you can not beat - join. // If you can’t beat ‘em, join‘ em. As one of Watson's favorite sayings, see Frank R. Kent's “Senator James E. Watson” (The Atlantic Monthly, Feb. 1932); here - in the form of “If

WATSON, James Eli (Watson, James Eli, 1864? - 1948), American senator 16a If you can not beat - join. // If you can’t beat ‘em, join‘ em. Attributed. As one of Watson's favorite sayings, see Frank R. Kent's “Senator James E. Watson” (The Atlantic Monthly, Feb. 1932); here -

WATSON, Thomas Jones (Sr.) (Watson, Thomas Johnes, 1874–1956), founder and director of IBM 17 I think five computers can be sold on the world market, as Watson Sr. said in 1943, according to "The Book of Facts and Fallacies: A Book of Definitive Mistakes and Misquided Predictions" (1981). Explained

Biology work

Romanova Anastasia

Francis Creek

James watson

"Discovery of the secondary structure of DNA"

The beginning of this story can be taken as a joke. "And we just discovered the secret of life!" - said one of two men who entered the Cambridge Eagle Pub exactly 57 years ago - on February 28, 1953. And these people, who worked in the laboratory nearby, did not exaggerate at all. One of them was called Francis Crick, and the other was James Watson.

Biography:

Francis Creek

During the war years, Creek was engaged in the creation of mines in the research laboratory of the British Navy. For two years after the end of the war, he continued to work in this ministry, and it was then that he read Erwin Schrödinger's famous book What Is Life? Physical aspects of a living cell ”, published in 1944. In the book, Schrödinger asks the question: “How can the spatio-temporal events occurring in a living organism be explained from the standpoint of physics and chemistry?”
The ideas presented in the book influenced Crick so much that he, intending to study particle physics, switched to biology. With the support of Archibald W. Will Creek, he received a scholarship from the Medical Research Council and in 1947 began working at the Strangeway Laboratory in Cambridge. Here he studied biology, organic chemistry, and X-ray diffraction methods used to determine the spatial structure of molecules.

James DeVey Watson

Born April 6, 1928 in Chicago (Illinois) in the family of James D. Watson, a businessman, and Gene (Mitchell) Watson and was their only child.

In Chicago, he received primary and secondary education. It soon became apparent that James was an unusually gifted child, and he was invited to the radio to participate in the Quiz for Kids program. After only two years of high school, Watson received a scholarship in 1943 to study at the experimental four-year college at the University of Chicago, where he showed interest in studying ornithology. After becoming a bachelor of science at the University of Chicago in 1947, he continued his education at Bloomington Indiana University.
By this time, Watson became interested in genetics and began training in Indiana under the guidance of specialist in this field Herman J. Meller and bacteriologist Salvador Luria. Watson wrote a dissertation on the influence of X-rays on the reproduction of bacteriophages (viruses that infect bacteria) and received in 1950 a Ph.D. A subsidy from the National Research Society allowed him to continue research on bacteriophages at the University of Copenhagen in Denmark. There he studied the biochemical properties of bacteriophage DNA. However, as he later recalled, experiments with phage began to weigh him down; he wanted to know more about the true structure of DNA molecules that genetics so enthusiastically talked about.

In October 1951   years, the scientist went to the Cavendish Laboratory of the University of Cambridge to study the spatial structure of proteins together with John C. Kendrew. There he met Francis Crick, (a physicist who was interested in biology), who was writing his doctoral dissertation at that time.
Subsequently, they established close creative contacts. “It was intellectual love at first sight,” says one science historian. Despite the commonality of interests, views on life and style of thinking, Watson and Crick mercilessly, albeit politely, criticized each other. Their roles in this intellectual duo were different. “Francis was the brain, and I was the feeling,” Watson says.

Starting in 1952, based on the early studies of Charghaf, Wilkins, and Franklin, Crick and Watson decided to try to determine the chemical structure of DNA.

By the fifties, it was known that DNA is a large molecule consisting of nucleotides connected together. Scientists also knew that it was DNA that was responsible for the storage and transmission of genetic information by inheritance. The spatial structure of this molecule and the mechanisms by which DNA is inherited from cell to cell and from organism to organism remained unknown.

IN 1948   Linus Pauling discovered the spatial structure of other macromolecules - proteins. Beding jaded to bed, Pauling folded paper for several hours, which he tried to simulate the configuration of a protein molecule, and created a model of the structure called the "alpha-helix".

According to Watson, after this discovery, a hypothesis about the helical structure of DNA was popular in their laboratory. Watson and Crick collaborated with leading experts in X-ray diffraction analysis, and Crick was able to almost unmistakably detect signs of a spiral in images taken in this way.

Pauling also believed that DNA was a spiral, moreover, consisting of three strands. However, he could not explain the nature of such a structure, nor the mechanisms of DNA self-doubling for transmission to daughter cells.

The discovery of the double-stranded structure occurred after Maurice Wilkins secretly showed Watson and Crick an x-ray of a DNA molecule made by his employee Rosalind Franklin. In this picture, they clearly recognized the signs of the spiral and headed to the laboratory to test everything on a three-dimensional model.

In the laboratory, it turned out that the workshop hadn’t supplied the metal plates necessary for the stereo model, and Watson cut four types of prototypes of nucleotides from cardboard - guanine (G), cytosine (C), thymine (T) and adenine (A) - and began to lay them on the table . And then he discovered that adenine combines with thymine, and guanine with cytosine according to the key-lock principle. This is how two strands of the DNA helix are connected together, that is, opposite to thymine from one strand, there will always be adenine from the other, and nothing else.

Over the next eight months, Watson and Crick summarized the results with those already available, reporting on the DNA structure in February. 1953   of the year.

A month later, they created a three-dimensional model of a DNA molecule made of balls, pieces of cardboard and wire.
According to the Crick-Watson model, DNA is a double helix consisting of two deoxyribose phosphate chains connected by base pairs in a manner similar to stairs. Through hydrogen bonds, adenine combines with thymine, and guanine with cytosine.

You can swap:

a) members of a given pair;

b) any pair to another pair, and this will not lead to structural disruption, although it will decisively affect its biological activity.

The DNA structure proposed by Watson and Crick perfectly met the main criterion, the fulfillment of which was necessary for the molecule, which claims to be the repository of hereditary information. “The skeleton of our model is highly ordered, and the sequence of base pairs is the only property that can ensure the transfer of genetic information,” they wrote.
“Our structure,” wrote Watson and Crick, “consists, therefore, of two chains, each of which is complementary to the other.”

Watson wrote about the discovery to his boss Delbrück, and he wrote to Niels Bohr: “Stunning things happen in biology. I think Jim Watson made a discovery comparable to what Rutherford made in 1911. " It is worth recalling that in 1911, Rutherford discovered the atomic nucleus.

This arrangement made it possible to explain the mechanisms of DNA copying: two strands of a helix diverge, and an exact copy of its former "partner" in a helix is \u200b\u200bextended to each of them from nucleotides. On the same principle as with the negative in the photo they print positive.

Although Rosalind Franklin did not support the hypothesis of the spiral structure of DNA, it was her photographs that played a decisive role in the discovery of Watson and Crick.

Later, the model of DNA structure proposed by Watson and Crick was proved. And in 1962   their work was awarded the Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine "for discoveries in the field of the molecular structure of nucleic acids and for determining their role in the transmission of information in living matter." Among the laureates there was no Rosalinda Franklin who had died by that time (from cancer in 1958), since the prize was not awarded posthumously.

one of the Karolinska Institute said at the award ceremony: "The discovery of the spatial molecular structure of DNA is extremely important, because it outlines the possibilities for understanding in great detail the general and individual characteristics of all living things." Engström noted that “deciphering the double helical structure of deoxyribonucleic acid with a specific pairing of nitrogenous bases opens up fantastic possibilities for unraveling the details of the control and transmission of genetic information.”

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The discovery of the existence of a duplicated DNA helix was a turning point in biology. It was made by the Englishman Francis Crick and the American James Watson. In 1962, scientists were awarded the Nobel Prize.

They are among the most intelligent people on the planet. Scream made many discoveries in various fields, not limited to genetics. Watson earned a number of sayings notoriety, but this more characterizes him as an extraordinary person.

Childhood

Francis Crick was born in 1916 in England at Northampton. His father was a successful businessman and had a shoe factory. He went to a regular high school. After the war, family income decreased significantly, the head decided to move the family to London. Francis graduated from Mill Hill School, where he was fond of mathematics, physics and chemistry. He later studied at London University College and is recognized as a bachelor of science.

Then on another continent his future colleague, James Watson, was born. From childhood, he was different from ordinary children, even then James was prophesied a bright future. He was born in Chicago in 1928. His parents surrounded him with love and joy.

The teacher in the first grade noted his mind, inappropriate to age. After 3rd grade, he took part in an intellectual quiz for children on the radio. Watson showed amazing abilities. He will later be invited to the Four-Year University of Chicago, where he will be interested in ornithology. Having a bachelor's degree, the young man decides to continue his studies at Bloomington University in Indiana.

Interest in science

At Indiana University, Watson is involved in genetics and comes to the attention of biologist Salvador Lauria and brilliant geneticist J. Meller. The collaboration resulted in a dissertation on the effects of X-rays on bacteria and viruses. After a brilliant defense, James Watson becomes a Ph.D.

Further studies of bacteriophages will occur in distant Denmark - the University of Copenhagen. The scientist is actively working on a DNA model and the study of its properties. His colleague is a talented biochemist Herman Kalkar. However, a fateful meeting with Francis Crick will occur at the University of Cambridge. Novice scientist Watson, who is only 23 years old, will invite Francis to his laboratory for collaboration.

Before World War II, Crick studied the viscosity of water in various states. Later, he had to work for the Naval Ministry - developing mines. A turning point will be the reading of the book by E. Schrödinger. The author's ideas prompted Francis to study biology. Since 1947, he has been working in the Cambridge laboratory, studying X-ray diffraction, organic chemistry, and biology. Its leader was Max Perutz, who studies the structure of proteins. Crick has an interest in defining the chemical basis of the genetic code.

DNA decryption

In the spring of 1951, a symposium was held in Naples, where James met with English scientist Maurice Wilkins and researcher Rosalyn Franklin, who also conduct DNA analysis. They determined that the structure of the cage is similar to a spiral staircase - it has a double spiral shape. Their experimental data prompted Watson and Crick to further research. They decide to determine the composition of nucleic acids and seek the necessary funding - subsidies from the National Society for the Study of Infantile Paralysis.

In 1953, they will inform the world about the structure of DNA and present a ready-made model of the molecule.

In just 8 months, two brilliant scientists will summarize the results of their experiments with available data. In a month, a three-dimensional model of DNA will be made of balls and cardboard.

The discovery was announced by the director of the laboratory Cavendish Lawrence Bragg at the Belgian conference, which took place on April 8. But the importance of the discovery was not recognized immediately. Only on April 25, after the publication of an article in the scientific journal Nature, biologists and other laureates appreciated the value of new knowledge. The event was attributed to the greatest discovery of the century.

In 1962, the British Wilkins and Crick with American Watson were nominated for the Nobel Prize in medicine. Unfortunately, Rosalind Franklin died 4 years ago and was not among the applicants. There was a scandal about this, since the model used Franklin's experimental data, although it did not give official permission. Scream and Watson worked closely with her partner Wilkins, and Rosalind herself did not recognize the importance of her experiments for medicine until the end of her life.

Watson erected a monument in New York for the opening. Wilkins and Crick did not receive this honor, as they did not have American citizenship.

Career

After the discovery of the DNA structure, Watson and Crick diverge. James becomes a senior fellow at the Department of Biology at the University of California, and later a professor. In 1969, he was offered to head the Long Island Laboratory of Molecular Biology. The scientist refuses to work at Harvard, where he worked since 1956. The rest of his life, he will devote to neuroscience, studying the effect of viruses and DNA on cancer. Under the guidance of a scientist, the laboratory reached a new level of research quality, its funding increased significantly. Gold Spring Harbor has become the best global center for the study of molecular biology. From 1988 to 1992, Watson actively participated in a number of projects to study the human genome.

Scream after world recognition to become the head of the biological laboratory in Cambridge. In 1977, he moved to San Diego, California, to study the mechanisms of dreams and vision.

In 1983, with the mathematician Gr. He suggested by Mutchison: dreams are the brain's ability to free itself from the useless and excessive associations that were accumulated during the day. Scientists have called dreams the prevention of nervous system overload.

In 1981, Francis Crick's book, Life As It Is: Its Origin and Nature, was published, where the author suggests the origin of life on Earth. According to him, the first inhabitants on the planet were microorganisms from other space objects. This explains the similarity of the genetic code of all living objects. The scientist died in 2004 from oncology. He was cremated, and the dust scattered over the Pacific Ocean.

In 2004, Watson became the rector, but in 2007 he had to resign from this position for speaking about the genetic relationship of origin (race) and level of intelligence. The scientist loves to provocatively and abusively comment on the work of his colleagues, Franklin was no exception. Some statements were perceived as attacks on obese people and homosexuals.

In 2007, Watson released his autobiography, Avoid Boring. In 2008, he delivered a public lecture at Moscow State University. Watson is called the first person with a fully decrypted genome. Currently, the scientist is working on the search for genes responsible for mental illness.

Crick and Watson opened up new possibilities for the development of medicine. It is impossible to overestimate the importance of their scientific activity.

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James Watson is one of the smartest people in the world. From early childhood, parents noticed his abilities that predicted a bright future for the child. However, we learn about how James went to his dream, and what obstacles he overcame on the path to fame, from our article.

Childhood, youth

James Dewey Watson was born on April 6, 1928 in Chicago. He grew up in love and joy. As soon as the boy sat at the school desk, the teachers already while alone talked about the fact that little James is smart beyond his years.

After graduating from the 3rd grade of high school, he went on the radio to participate in an intellectual quiz for children. The boy showed amazing ability. After some time, James is invited to study at the University of Chicago, four-year-old. There he shows a genuine interest in ornithology. After receiving a bachelor of science degree, James goes to continue his studies at Bloomington Indiana University.

Interest in science

While studying at the university, James Watson is seriously interested in genetics. The well-known geneticist Herman J. Möller, as well as the bacteriologist Salvador Lauria, draws attention to his abilities. Scientists offer him to work together. After some time, James writes a dissertation on the topic "The influence of x-rays on the spread of viruses that infect bacteria (bacteriophages)." Thanks to this, the young scientist receives a Ph.D.

After that, James Watson continues the study of bacteriophages already at the University of Copenhagen, in distant Denmark. Within the walls of the institution, he studies the properties of DNA. However, all this quickly bothers the scientist. He wants to study not just the properties of bacteriophages, but the very structure of the DNA molecule, which is so zealously studied by genetics.

Advances in science

In May 1951, at a symposium in Italy (Naples), James meets with the English scientist Maurice Wilkins. As it turned out, he, along with his colleague, Rosalyn Franklin, conducts DNA analysis. Research scientists have shown that the cell is a double spiral, which resembles a spiral staircase.

After this data, James Watson decides to conduct a chemical analysis of nucleic acids. After receiving a research subsidy, he set to work with physicist Francis Crick. Already in 1953, scientists made a report about the structure of DNA, and a year later created an enlarged model of the molecule.

After the research was made public, Crick and Watson diverged. James is appointed senior staff member of the Department of Biology, California Institute of Technology. After some time, Watson was offered to work as a professor (1961).

Prizes and awards

James Watson and received the Nobel Prize in medicine or physiology. It was the award for the discovery of the molecular structure of nucleic acids.

Since 1969, the theory of James Watson has been tested by all the geneticists of the world. In the same year, the scientist held the position of Director of the Laboratory of Molecular Biology in Long Island. It should be noted that he refuses to work. For many years, Watson devotes to the study of neurobiology, the role of DNA and viruses in the development of cancer.

By the way, Watson was awarded the Albert Lasker Prize (1971), the Presidential Medal of Freedom (1977), and the John D. Carty Medal. It is worth mentioning that James is a member of the National Academy of Sciences, the American Society of Biochemists, the American Cancer Research Society, the Danish Academy of Arts and Sciences, the American Philosophical Society, and the Harvard University Council.

Personal life

In 1968, Watson marries Elizabeth Levy. The girl in the laboratory where James himself once worked. In the marriage, the couple had two sons.

Active rumors circulated that allegedly the daughter of James is Emma Watson. And by the way, he fell into the category of allegedly born out of wedlock children of a scientist. Although, most likely, this is not true.

James Watson on Races

Watson claimed that people with black skin have a lower level of intelligence, unlike a person with white skin. For this theory, the famous microbiologist Watson wanted to be called to trial. It should be noted that this is not the first time that a scientist has allowed himself to express such an opinion. He used to say that about women.

Such statements generated a lot of discussion around, similar to those that Watson and Murray produced in the 90s. In it, scientists examined the differences between the intelligences of different races. This work was then called the apology of scientific racism.

It’s hard to say whether the famous scientist will be punished. At the moment, it is known that the American Commission on Racial Equality noted that this unpleasant incident will not be ignored.

By the way, Watson must have lost his job as director of the Long Island laboratory precisely because of this statement.

The scientist is accused of political incorrectness

James Watson is known for his provocative and scandalous remarks. For example, a scientist, contrary to everything, believes that stupid people are sick, and that 10% of them need urgent treatment.

Another statement concerns female beauty. Watson is sure that it is with the help of genetic engineering that you can make all women truly attractive and charming.

In the same context, he spoke out about people with a non-traditional orientation. James to this day claims that if he could create a gene responsible for sexual orientation, he would immediately begin to study and correct it.

After such a dislike for homosexuals and other non-traditional cultures, Watson was subjected to condemnation not only by representatives of these cultures, but also by the authorities.

The focus was on his judgment on overweight people. Watson claims that he would never have hired a “fat man” because he considers him intellectually underdeveloped.

Well, everyone has their own opinion! And we will observe further research and the statements of the famous scientist.

Biography

James Dewey Watson is an American biologist. The 1962 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine - together with Francis Crick and Maurice H.F. Wilkins for discovering the structure of a DNA molecule.

From childhood, thanks to his father, James was fascinated by observations of the life of birds. At the age of 12, Watson participated in the popular Quiz Kids radio quiz for intelligent young people. Thanks to the liberal policies of University of Chicago President Robert Hutchins, he entered university at the age of 15. After reading Erwin Schrödinger's book “What is life from the point of view of physics?”, Watson changed his professional interests from studying ornithology to studying genetics. In 1947, he received a bachelor's degree in zoology from the University of Chicago.

In 1947-1951 he studied at the graduate school of Indiana University in Bloomington.

In 1951 he entered the Cavendish Laboratory of the University of Cambridge, where he studied the structure of proteins. There he met the physicist Francis Crick, who was interested in biology.

In 1952, Watson and Crick began working on modeling the structure of DNA. Using the rules of Chargaff and roentgenograms, Rosalind Franklin and Maurice Wilkins built a two-spiral model. The results were published May 30, 1953 in the journal Nature.

In 1956-1976 - an employee of Harvard University.
  For 25 years he headed the Cold Spring Harbor laboratory, where he conducted research on cancer genetics.

From 1989 to 1992, he was the organizer and leader of the Human Genome project for decoding the sequence of human DNA.

In 2007, he spoke out in favor of the fact that representatives of different races have different intellectual abilities, which is due to genetics. In connection with the violation of political correctness, they demanded a public apology from him, and in October 2007, Watson officially resigned as head of the laboratory where he worked.

In 2007, James Watson wrote the book Avoid Boring. It describes his entire life path, from childhood to the present day.

In 2008, he came to Moscow, where he gave a public lecture at Moscow State University; He was awarded the title of doctor honoris causa of the university. Sergei Kapitsa, who interviewed him during this visit, called him "undoubtedly the most outstanding scientist of our time."

Watson is the first person whose genome is completely decrypted. A study of James Watson’s DNA revealed a slow release of certain medications from the body, other personal metabolic characteristics, and a high concentration of African and, to a lesser extent, Asian genes. It was later suggested that the analysis of the genome contained significant errors.

He is currently working on the search for genes for mental illness.

Accusations of Political Incorrectness

Watson constantly supports genetic screening and genetic engineering for humans in public lectures and interviews, proving, in particular, that stupidity is a disease, and that 10% of the “most stupid” people need to be treated. He also suggested that beauty could be created by genetic engineering, stating:

Some say that if we make all the girls beautiful, it will be terrible. I think that would be great.

The Sunday Telegraph quoted his interview as saying:

If you could find the gene responsible for sexual orientation, and some woman would decide that she does not want to have a homosexual child - well, let it be.

Regarding obesity, Watson also spoke out in an interview:

When you, as an employer, conduct an interview with a fat person, you always feel embarrassed because you know that you will never hire him.

In a speech at a conference in 2000, Watson suggested that there is a connection between skin color and sex drive, suggesting that dark-skinned people have stronger libido. His lecture, accompanied by slides of women in a bikini, proved that extracts of melanin - a pigment that gives dark color to tanned skin (and brunet hair) - according to the results of the experiments, the sexual drive of the subject was sharply enhanced.

That is why we know Latin American lovers. You have never heard of an English lover. Only about English patients.

On October 25, 2007, Watson was forced to resign as head of the Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory in Long Island, New York, and was removed from her board after the following Times quoted the Times as saying:

Actually, I see gloomy prospects for Africa, because our entire social policy is based on the assumption of the fact that they have the same level of intelligence as ours - while all studies say that this is not so.

Awards

1962 - Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine, "For discoveries regarding the molecular structure of nucleic acids and their significance for the transmission of information in living systems."

1971 - John Carty Prize
  1977 - Presidential Medal of Freedom
  1981 - ForMemRS
  1985 - EMBO Membership
  1993 - Copley Medal, "In recognition of his tireless pursuit of DNA, from the elucidation of its structure to the social and medical implications of the sequencing of the human genome."

1994 - The Great Gold Medal named after MV Lomonosov, “for outstanding achievements in the field of molecular biology.”

1997 - United States National Science Medal, "For five decades of scientific and intellectual leadership in molecular biology, ranging from his co-discovery of the double helical structure of DNA to the launching of the Human Genome Project."

2000 - Philadelphia Medal of Liberty
  2001 - Benjamin Franklin Medal (American Philosophical Society)
  2002 - International Guyrdner Prize
  2002 - Knight Commander of the Order of the British Empire
  2005 - Othmer Gold Medal
  2011 - Irish America Hall of Fame

Facts

On December 4, 2014, Russian billionaire Alisher Usmanov, at a Christie’s New York auction, bought Watson’s Nobel medal (previously put up by a scientist to donate money from its sale for the needs of the university) for $ 4.1 million and returned it to the scientist, to which he replied:

I am deeply touched by this gesture, which shows his appreciation of my work after the discovery of the DNA structure, dedicated to research in the field of cancer.

June 17, 2015 in the building of the Russian Academy of Sciences, the award was returned to James Watson.

Social activity

In 2016, he signed a letter calling on Greenpeace, the United Nations, and governments around the world to stop fighting genetically modified organisms (GMOs).