James Watson becomes Director of the Office of Human Genome Research at the National Institutes of Health

1988. James Watson, an American molecular biologist, and the co-discoverer of the double helical structure of DNA, became Director of the Office of Human Genome Research. From 1988-1992 he helped establish the Human Genome Project. The goal of the Project was to provide a map of the DNA sequences and to identify and map the total genes in the human genome.

The Human Genome project presents many modern complexities to reflect upon, related to the link between genetics and disease, and concepts such as prenatal screening. As Roll-Hansen (2010) elaborates,

“Popularization of this great scientific achievement something gives the impression that a map of an individual’s DNA sequences also maps the 'genes' that determine her or his behavior, a situation that would open a completely new situation not only for the medical genetics but also for eugenics. In fact, the map of the human genome has reinforced scientific awareness of the complexity of the genome and its interaction with the rest of the organism, as well as with its external environment” (p. 93).

The project was completed in 2003.

-Erna Kurbegovic

  • Roll-Hansen, N. (2010). Eugenics and the Science of Genetics. A. Bashford & P. Levine (Eds.). The Oxford Handbook of the History of Eugenics. (p.80-90). Oxford: Oxford University Press.

James Watson becomes Director of the Office of Human Genome Research at the National Institutes of Health

1988. James Watson, an American molecular biologist, and the co-discoverer of the double helical structure of DNA, became Director of the Office of Human Genome Research. From 1988-1992 he helped establish the Human Genome Project. The goal of the Project was to provide a map of the DNA sequences and to identify and map the total genes in the human genome.

The Human Genome project presents many modern complexities to reflect upon, related to the link between genetics and disease, and concepts such as prenatal screening. As Roll-Hansen (2010) elaborates,

“Popularization of this great scientific achievement something gives the impression that a map of an individual’s DNA sequences also maps the 'genes' that determine her or his behavior, a situation that would open a completely new situation not only for the medical genetics but also for eugenics. In fact, the map of the human genome has reinforced scientific awareness of the complexity of the genome and its interaction with the rest of the organism, as well as with its external environment” (p. 93).

The project was completed in 2003.

-Erna Kurbegovic

  • Roll-Hansen, N. (2010). Eugenics and the Science of Genetics. A. Bashford & P. Levine (Eds.). The Oxford Handbook of the History of Eugenics. (p.80-90). Oxford: Oxford University Press.