James D. Watson free essay sample

James d Watson had a massive impact on society with his co-discovery of DNA. He was a very intelligent as a child, with his favorite word being why. The discovery wouldn’t of came if it wasnt for the help from a few other very important scientist. SO many changes have come about of the discovery of DNA, on of the most well known would be genetic engineering, and to many to name. James D. Watson had a huge impact on society with his co-discovery of DNA, from a young age he was very interested in science this fuelled his passion. With the help of others James and co-discoverer Francis Crick they cracked the cod of DNA. All this has led other important discoveries and breakthroughs like how we pass on traits though generations, how genes work with health and how we can improve it also in agriculture with new plants that are immune to some pests. We will write a custom essay sample on James D. Watson or any similar topic specifically for you Do Not WasteYour Time HIRE WRITER Only 13.90 / page James Dewey Watson was born in Chicago on April 6, 1928. James was very bright young child. â€Å"His favourite word was why† (N/A http://www. dnaftb. org/19/bio. html ). One of his favourite hobbies was bird watching with his father. James had a short time in high school when he entered the University of Chicago at 15 though the gifted youngster program. Watson then went to do a Ph. D with Salvador Luria at Indiana University, here his passion for DNA and genetics grew. After his Ph. D Watson spent time in Europe. He spent most of his time in the Cavendish Laboratory of the University of Cambridge, here he met Francis Crick, they both found they had a passion for solving the structure of DNA. Between the two of them they cracked the mystery of DNA and in 1953 built the first accurate model of DNA. James D. Watson was the co discoverer of the double helix. James came about the discovery of the double helix though the work left by others trying to solve this mystery. The had work from two others, Erwin Chargaff rule that A only links with T and C only links with G and Rosalind Franklin’s X-rays double helix. James was able to build on this with new discoveries in known molecular distances and bond angles. James and co-discover Francis Crick sat at the desks rearranging the proteins A, T, C, G to match together to produce the strand. They could not find how T and G linked to A or C, not until upon suggestion from a American scientist named Jerry Donohue did they find that the build structure of T and G was off and that all they had to do was rearrange the structure of the two and they ended up having a perfect match at last with each pair being held together by hydrogen bonds. The discovery was announced in March 1953 by Sir  Lawrence Bragg the director of the laboratory. In 1962 James and his co-discover landed a Nobel Prize in Medicine. (N/A, http://www. nobelprize. rg/nobel_prizes/medicine/laureates/1962/) . This discovery has paved the way for so many new medicines, vaccines and new technology. James D. Watson has changed the world in many ways with his discovery of DNA and how it works. In medicine there have been a lot of improvements with vaccines with DNA technology. For example insulin now is being produced from recombinant DNA technology or known as genetic engineering. Scientist has found that bacter ia and even baker’s yeast can produce insulin. They insert the human gene that produces insulin into the bacteria. This has made insulin a unlimited supply meaning the price for the product has gone down and increase peoples quality of life at the same time. DNA has also improved the upholding of laws. It is now possible to distinguish who was at a crime scene with DNA. This has led to many cases solved that otherwise had no other evidence. In Agriculture DNA technology has improved farmers grow better crops by making them immune to disease and pests. They do this by inserting genes from other plants that are immune and insert into the ones they want to protect. This has led to better crops in Africa which has helped fight starvation, and made food cheaper in countries so more people can afford food. These are just a few ways DNA has helped shape the world we live in. James D. Watsons had a huge impact on society with his co-discovery of DNA. The discovery has led to amazing new breakthroughs and new technologies like picking traits and finding out how genes affect our health. The discovery also landed James and his co-discover, a Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine 1962. Our modern world wouldn’t have the healthcare it has now if it wasn’t for James D.