DNA

Nobel laureate Dr. James Watson talks about DNA, the human genome and a revolution in medicine that is changing life as we know it

DNA Discovery Dr. James Watson was a young, unknown scientist when he and his partner, Dr. Francis Crick, discovered the double helix structure of DNA over 50 years ago. Since that Nobel Prize-winning discovery was made, the human genome has been mapped and the floodgates have been opened to the countless potentialities - and consequences - of DNA science.

Dr. Watson is featured in DNA, a new, groundbreaking five-part series from Thirteen/WNET New York (airing Sundays at 7 p.m. on WHYY TV12 throughout the month of January), which offers a definitive account of the genetic revolution and its potential to transform life as we know it. The following feature is based on an exclusive interview Thirteen conducted recently with Dr. Watson.

In the first summer of the new millennium, the scientific community announced that the code of three billion letters that make up human DNA had been cracked. The human genome - a virtual instruction manual of the human being - had finally been mapped after 10 years of research spanning five continents and costing billions of dollars. That monumental discovery opened up a brave new world of genetic possibilities that could dramatically change medicine, and even life, as we know it. Discovering the so-called "secret of life" also posed provocative questions about whether or not we should tinker with the structure of the human genome, even for noble purposes.

Dr. James Watson is passionate about his belief that we should, indeed, alter the human genome to improve the human race. He argues for a new kind of eugenics that allows parents to choose the DNA of their children to make them healthier, more intelligent, even better looking.

"I've always wanted to improve the world," Dr. Watson said. "And when someone tells me, 'No, you can't improve human beings,' I just think, 'Gee, if you can improve anything, you should improve humans'."

But the theory of improving the genome through genetic engineering raises boundless, thorny ethical questions, including the concern that it might give a privileged few a genetic edge over others. "The chief one seems to be the fear that it will be used to create a gap, the sort of Gattaca-type world situation," Dr. Watson said, referring to the 1997 futuristic movie about a society in which personal and professional destinies are determined by genes. "Those who are genetically on top become the richly accepted species who don't worry about the underclass. I don't think that will happen. It may be a good movie. But maybe the movie was good because someone from the underclass won."

Popular perceptions of genetic engineering have been shaped not only by Hollywood, but also by history, specifically the Nazi era. "We're not trying to create the perfect blonde," Dr. Watson explained. "That's not what worries you. It doesn't drive you. It's the limitations of life that you're trying to overcome. Genetic knowledge is on the side of human beings. It's not going to set us back. People are already set back by bad throws of the genetic dice."

Dr. Watson is eager and impatient to see that knowledge put to practical use, specifically as it relates to improving human health. Scientists maintain that by adding or removing specific genes, a multitude of illnesses and disorders, including cancer, cystic fibrosis, Alzheimer's, and heart disease, could be eradicated. "If you could make every child resistant to HIV," Dr. Watson asked, "wouldn't that be a nice way to save Africa?"

Dr. Watson is particularly excited about potential applications of genetic engineering in the treatment of mental illnesses. But he and his colleagues face another obstacle - the constant struggle for research funding.

"I think it's just money now that will keep us from understanding the facts - say, what the genetic component of bipolar disease is. We should just do it as fast as possible," he said. "The human genome project just opened the possibilities. There's no reason not to understand the genetic basis of dyslexia. And of autism - to correct autism. I don't know if we can cure it but we should stop it. I think we could move faster."

Dr. Watson believes that there are many more frontiers to explore in science, including the mind and how it works. He said that if he were just starting out in his career today, he would want to pursue that question.

"I would study the brain," he said. "What makes us what we are? I think the last century was the coming together of chemistry and biology and this century will be the coming together of psychology and biology."