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The Code Breaker

On February 28, 1953, James Watson of the United States and Francis Crick of England made one of the greatest scientific discoveries in history. "We have found the secret of life," Crick announced, according to Watson. What the two scientists had actually found is the structure of DNA, the chemical that carries the recipe for every living thing. In 1962, they were awarded the Nobel Prize for this work.

TFK Kid Reporter Noah Sneider caught up with Watson, now 73, at a TIME magazine conference marking the discovery's anniversary. "I introduced myself, and the butterflies in my stomach were flapping," says Noah. Here are his questions and Watson's answers.

Q Fifty years ago, you and Francis Crick solved the structure of DNA before anyone else did. What special talents or qualities allowed you to do that?

A We were probably more interested in DNA than anyone else. It was the only scientific problem I wanted to think about.

Q Has progress in DNA study been faster or slower than you expected?

A Much faster. I didn't expect we would know the complete sequence of human DNA. This is 3 billion letters long!

Q What advances in DNA do you think will help the world most?

A My own particular ambition is to understand the genetic changes that give rise to cancer and to see this information used to treat cancer.

Q Will scientists be able to alter genes so that we live forever? And would that be a good thing?

A No, no. I think you always want new people, because you hope that maybe in the future, people will be better than the people of today.

QQ What advice would you give to kids who are interested in being scientists and making a discovery that could change the world?

A Read a great deal. You don't get anywhere by merely being bright. You have to know facts. Go to the best school you can get to and take courses by the best teachers. My advice is, have friends who are bright and don't have them because they're popular. Have friends who you can learn from.

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The Code of Life

The recipe for making a human or a tulip or a flea is carried in a chemical called DNA. Our genes are made of it. DNA is shaped like a twisted ladder, or double helix. The rungs are made of four chemicals, abbreviated as A, C, G and T. They are arranged in a unique pattern in every kind of living thing.

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