into genetics continues at the pace of the past 40 years.

That is the scientifically backed belief of world renowned Dr. James Dewey Watson, one of the men who discovered DNA.

Dr. Watson is in Bermuda to speak at the annual meeting of the Bermuda Biological Station for Research.

The historic discovery was made in 1953 in Cambridge University by Dr. Watson, then 24, and Dr. Francis Crick, 36. What the two men had discovered was the structure of the deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA) molecule. The genes of everyone and everything is based on its DNA. At the time Dr. Crick announced they had discovered the "secret of life.'' The pair, and another scientist Dr. Maurice Wilkins, were rewarded with the Nobel Prize for Physiology and Medicine in 1962.

Over the 40 years since that discovery both Dr. Watson and Dr. Crick have been involved with a multitude of others in genetic research which has revolutionised medicine, agriculture and crime fighting.

Genetic tests have revealed ways to make crops more resistant to outside forces like the weather.

Much disease and mental disorder is being linked to genes being faulty or lacking certain components.

And identification of criminals and bodies is being made possible by DNA fingerprinting.

Dr. Watson said: "We did not realise what our research would lead to. If we had been told what exists today we would have thought it was science fiction.'' He has always claimed that the whole business of many diseases being genetic puzzles can be simplified. He said: "It is like a watch or an automobile. We are now trying to understand the make-up of genes in a human being.

"Disease can often be caused by part of a gene not functioning or missing.

You must find out what that part is. All the parts must function harmoniously.'' At present the Human Genome Project is seeking to map out all 100,000 genes in the human body. Dr. Watson headed the project from its beginning in 1990 but left last year.

He said the project is delving deeply into finding the genetic changes which lead to diseases like cancer and sickle cell.

Now he is continuing his direction of a genetics laboratory in Long Island, with which he has been involved for 25 years.

While DNA fingerprinting has already aided in solving crimes and identifying bodies, its future may not go a lot further in Police work.

Human rights groups have made it plain that they do not want DNA fingerprinting of ordinary citizens although the armed services in America have started the process in cases of identification of bodies at war.

Dr. Watson said: "It is a little tricky because the civil libertarians say `no' although it could have a lot of uses.'' The preventative role of genetics is one of the areas which is under intense scientific investigation.

Other groups have scoffed at ideas of genetic disease explaining certain social disorders like violence. Dr. Watson said: "People do not like to think that it is not related to a person's upbringing or how they were treated by their father. There are relative components.'' And what about the possibilities of a scenario like the movie Jurassic Park where dinosaurs are created from DNA taken from the blood of prehistoric mosquitoes? Impossible according to Dr. Watson. "We cannot raise people's hopes of bringing back their late mother.'' Dr. Watson is enjoying his first visit to Bermuda. "The trip sounded like fun and I wanted to see everyone in shorts,'' he said.

Dr. James Dewy Watson.