James Watson shared the Nobel Prize for discovering the structure of DNA — one of the most important scientific breakthroughs of the twentieth century. Decades later, he became the first living Nobel laureate to auction his medal, driven to sell by the professional isolation that followed his repeated public statements linking race to intelligence.

This episode examines the full arc of Watson’s career, from the revolutionary double helix discovery and the credit controversies surrounding Rosalind Franklin’s crucial contributions, to the racist remarks that cost him his positions, his honors, and his place in the scientific community.

• The race to discover DNA’s structure and the overlooked contributions of Rosalind Franklin
• Watson and Crick’s famous double helix model and the Nobel Prize that followed
• Watson’s increasingly controversial public statements on race and intelligence
• The unprecedented auction of a living laureate’s Nobel medal and what it symbolized