In a statement from the famous Cold Spring Harbor laboratory in New York State, where the geneticist worked, the 90-year-old scientist's comments were called "unfounded and irresponsible."

 

Nobel laureate, geneticist James Watson stripped of his honorary titles. He spoke again about racial differences

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Photo caption, James Watson

American geneticist James Watson, who received the Nobel Prize for describing the structure of the DNA molecule, was stripped of his honorary titles after he repeated his claims about the connection between the level of intelligence and racial origin.

In a statement from the famous Cold Spring Harbor laboratory in New York State, where the geneticist worked, the 90-year-old scientist's comments were called "unfounded and irresponsible."

Dr. Watson made similar statements in 2007, but later dropped them and apologized.

In 1962, the scientist, along with Maurice Wilkins and Francis Crick, received the Nobel Prize for the discovery of the structure of DNA.

However, in 2014, Dr. Watson sold his gold medal, claiming that he was ostracized by the scientific community after his remarks about the differences in intellectual and physical development of different races.

Watson pointed out that differences between whites and blacks in intellectual ability appear on IQ tests. Most intellectual development experts believe that these differences are due to the environment in which, respectively, whites and blacks live, and not genetic predisposition, the New York Times quoted the director of the US National Institutes of Health, Dr. Francis Collins , in early January .

Watson is currently in a nursing home recovering from a car accident and reportedly has little understanding of what is happening around him.

Geneticist opinion

In 2007, the geneticist was interviewed by the British newspaper Sunday Times. In it, he said that he was "depressed by the prospects for Africa", since "our entire social policy is based on the fact that their intelligence is the same as ours - and the data from all tests show that this is not so."

Watson also said that everyone hopes for universal equality, but "people who have to deal with black workers know that this is not the case."

Following these comments, Dr. Watson lost his job at Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory and was removed from all of his administrative duties. He wrote an apology and retained the title of Chancellor Emeritus, Oliver R. Grace Professor Emeritus and Trustee Emeritus.

But now the Cold Spring Harbor laboratory has announced that it is stripping James Watson of these titles in the light of the fact that his views have not changed. The interview with the scientist was part of the documentary American Masters: Deciphering Watson , which aired on PBS earlier this month.

"Dr. Watson's statements are reprehensible, not backed up by science," the laboratory said in a statement, which also notes that they effectively cancel out his apology.

James Watson's views have caused mixed reactions from the public before this incident. For example, he said that fat people are not ambitious enough.

In addition, he once proposed using genetic engineering to create exceptionally beautiful girls, which earned him accusations of endorsing eugenics.

Life's work

The scientist became director of the Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory (CSHL) in 1968, its president in 1994 and chancellor a decade later. The doctoral studies at the laboratory are named in his honor .

In an interview with the Associated Press, the scientist's son, Rufus Watson, said that the geneticist's statements could portray him as a fanatical person with discriminatory views, but this is not the case.

"They just represent his rather narrow interpretation of genetic predisposition ... For my father, this laboratory is his life's work, however, now the laboratory considers him to be his problem."

Photo caption, Nobel Prize for Watson and Crick, Oslo, 1962

The fate of the medal

In June 2015, during a visit by James Watson to Moscow, where he spoke at the Academy of Sciences, the scientist was returned the Nobel laureate medal he had sold earlier.

In 2014, as a result of the auction, the medal went under the hammer at Christie's for $ 4.8 million. Nobel medals are made from 18K gold. Christie's before the auction estimated the medal at $ 2.5 - 3.5 million.

Watson then said that he intends to give part of the proceeds from the sale of the medal money to charity and support for scientific research.

It was bought by Russian billionaire Alisher Usmanov , who immediately announced that he intends to return it to Watson.

"I find it unacceptable for an outstanding scientist to sell an award for his achievements," Usmanov said at the time. scientific research, and the reward will remain with the person who deserves it like no other. "

The Watson Award was the first medal in the history of the award, sold by the laureate himself during his lifetime.

The three-dimensional molecular structure of DNA, which encodes the individual composition of the proteins from which the human body is built, was discovered by Watson and Crick in 1953 on the basis of an experimental database compiled by Maurice Wilkins, Raymond Gosling and Rosalind Franklin.

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