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James Watson: Scientist loses titles after claims over race
Nobel Prize-winning American scientist James Watson has been stripped of his honorary titles after repeating comments about race and intelligence.
In a TV programme, the pioneer in DNA studies made a reference to a view that genes cause a difference on average between blacks and whites on IQ tests. Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory said the 90-year-old scientist's remarks were "unsubstantiated and reckless". Dr Watson had made similar claims in 2007 and subsequently apologised.
He shared the Nobel in 1962 with Maurice Wilkins and Francis Crick for their 1953 discovery of the DNA's double helix structure.
Dr Watson sold his gold medal in 2014, saying he had been ostracised by the scientific community after his remarks about race. He is currently in a nursing home recovering from a car accident and is said to have "very minimal" awareness of his surroundings.
Previously: Disgraced Scientist is Selling his Nobel Prize
(Score: 4, Insightful) by deimtee on Monday January 14 2019, @01:56AM (2 children)
People have this weird mistaken idea that because evolution is 'natural' it is this nice gentle process where species slowly improve. This is a long way from the truth.
Evolution is nasty, brutal, ruthless and wasteful. In any evolving species the majority of offspring are going to die in horrible ways.
If you think eugenics is bad, evolution is far worse. But that is what you are arguing for.
If you cough while drinking cheap red wine it really cleans out your sinuses.
(Score: 1, Interesting) by Anonymous Coward on Monday January 14 2019, @03:40AM (1 child)
You were close to a decent point. Evolution is a natural process, eugenics is adding a human controlled layer on top where we select for traits we find desirable. I will 100% take a natural disaster causing mass death over human controlled genocide.
It is weird how a human brain can take one perceived brutality and use it to justify further brutality, but that is what you are doing. Besides, I'm not arguing FOR evolution, that will happen one way or another. Genocide will only add a quick burst to the death rate, then "evolution" AKA normal human living will continue the pretty standard death toll.
Or are you arguing we need to genocide entire populations in order to prevent future suffering? Thanos did you break out of the 4th wall?? You realize some basic math makes your crime against the universe pointless right? RIGHT?
(Score: 1) by Sulla on Monday January 14 2019, @05:53AM
All we need is a controlled breeding program for luck. That way the species cumulative luck across the planet will keep us safe from any enemy. Or so goes the species in Niven's universe.
Ceterum censeo Sinae esse delendam