DNA Discoverer Retires after Race Goof

From the page: " Molecular biologist James Dewey Watson, credited as
one of the co-discoverers of the structure of DNA and recipient of the
1962 Nobel Prize in Medicine, decided to retire after a race-related
goof. The lab where he served already suspended Watson's
administrative duties last Thursday...The highly publicized comments
in The Times of London last week suggested that, statistically, people
of African descent are not as intelligent as people of other descents.
In the Oct. 14 edition of the Times of London he is quoted as saying
that he feels "inherently gloomy about the prospect of Africa" because
"all our social policies are based on the fact that their intelligence
is the same as ours -- whereas all the testing says not really.""

Curiously, some Ancient Greek thinkers held that the Anglo Saxons were
not teachable, and thus could never be civilized. As Professor Watson
demonstrates, the Ancient Greeks were wrong.


Another comment is in line here. The studies that Professor Watson
alludes to as proof of his claims have also shown things like the
following:


1) Fat people are stupider than thin people.
2) Southern Europeans are not as intelligent as Northern Europeans.
3) Asians are more intelligent than Europeans.
5) Children brought up by a single woman are not as smart as those
brought up by both parents.
6) People who are not wealthy are less intelligent that people who are
wealthy.
7)Eastern Europeans are less intelligent than Western Europeans.
8) People who drink red wine are more intelligent than those who dont
drink it.
9) An only-child is smarter than one who is not.
10)Women are less intelligent than men.


We can go on for hours. It is indeed disturbing that a man presumably
of such vast learning could lend voice to the support of such claim
about sub-Saharan Africans on the basis of studies that also claim
some of the absurdities cited above. Indeed, this only proves what is
now becoming common knowledge: to be a rocket scientist does not
necessarily require much intelligence. It appears to mostly require
hard work and motivation, narrow focus, having good political skills,
being at the right place at the right time, and having lots of
connections.


Article can be accessed at the following link:

http://www.efluxmedia.com/news_DNA_Discoverer_Retires_after_Race_Goof_09976..html

Text of original article:

DNA Discoverer Retires after Race Goof
by Alice Turner

Molecular biologist James Dewey Watson, credited as one of the co-
discoverers of the structure of DNA and recipient of the 1962 Nobel
Prize in Medicine, decided to retire after a race-related goof. The
lab where he served already suspended Watson's administrative duties
last Thursday.

"Closer now to 80 than 79, the passing on of my remaining vestiges of
leadership is more than overdue," Dr. Watson said in an e-mail to New
York's Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory staff. "The circumstances in
which this transfer is occurring, however, are not those which I could
ever have anticipated or desired."

The highly publicized comments in The Times of London last week
suggested that, statistically, people of African descent are not as
intelligent as people of other descents. In the Oct. 14 edition of the
Times of London he is quoted as saying that he feels "inherently
gloomy about the prospect of Africa" because "all our social policies
are based on the fact that their intelligence is the same as ours --
whereas all the testing says not really."

Although during his career there is nothing that might indicate he
actually supported racial discrimination, and despite his immense
contributions to science and medicine, he was harshly rebuffed for
this thoughtless statement. Watson subsequently apologized in a speech
to a private audience at the Royal Society in London and also issued a
statement acknowledging there is no scientific basis for his claims.
In the controversial Times of London article, he also mentioned that
people should not be discriminated against on the basis of race,
because "there are many people of color who are very talented".

Watson received the 1962 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine "for
their discoveries concerning the molecular structure of nucleic acids
and its significance for information transfer in living material." He
was initially a zoologist, but through a series of fortunate events he
became more of a molecular biologist. Watson's actual contribution was
in discovering the nucleotide base pairs that are the key to the
structure and function of DNA. He and Francis Crick published a paper
on the double helix structure of DNA in the journal Nature on April
25, 1953.

"For over 40 years, Dr. Watson has made immeasurable contributions to
the Laboratory's research and educational programs," Eduardo Mestre,
chairman of the Spring Harbor Laboratory's board, said in a statement.
"His legacy as 1962 Nobel Prize laureate for describing the structure
of DNA will continue to influence biomedical research for decades to
come. The board respects his decision to retire at this point in his
career."

Watson was also director of the Human Genome Project from 1988 to
1992, among other outstanding contributions to medicine and science.
The he helped transform the Spring Harbor Laboratory from a small
facility into a world-class institution prominent in research on
cancer, plant biology, neuroscience and computational biology.

© 2007 - eFluxMedia

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