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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 Kell on Monday January 14 2019, @10:10AM (7 children)
I am personally dead-set against quotas and affirmative action. Nothing pisses me off more than someone assuming that I got a job or promotion "just because" I'm a woman. It harms companies by choosing weaker candidates, and it harms candidates by casting aspersions on their merit.
Scientists ask questions. Engineers solve problems.
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Monday January 14 2019, @01:33PM (1 child)
Management have been trumpeting that we now have over 55% females in leadership positions across the organization. That's Middlelevel management and higher.
You should see some of these managers in action. It's disgraceful. Aweful.
A long time ago we had strong, strategic, inspiring female managers. Less than 10% of management. In some ways it sucked to be them. They had to be everything a male manager was and more. Watching them, learning from them, working with them was inspiring.
Now we have people who can pass an MBA, maybe.
Hey, though. We have more than half the management positions filled by females. And that is what counts.
I miss the old days.
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Monday January 14 2019, @11:36PM
Especially for the competition!
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Monday January 14 2019, @06:40PM
can someone explain why this was voted down?
i would like that everyone with talent is recognized and rewarded, without the need for an arbitrary playing field leveling system. that she expresses concern that people expect she's not talented and instead is part of an effort to level the playing field because of a quota, that doesn't seem trollish, but maybe im missing the context.
(Score: 2) by Kell on Tuesday January 15 2019, @12:07AM (2 children)
How the hell is this modded as a troll? This is something I've experienced first hand as a "diversity candidate".
Scientists ask questions. Engineers solve problems.
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Tuesday January 15 2019, @02:23AM
It doesn't fit the SJW agenda?
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Tuesday January 15 2019, @05:37AM
Rule 16: There are no women on the internet.
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Tuesday January 15 2019, @10:12PM
https://mobile.abc.net.au/news/2017-06-30/bilnd-recruitment-trial-to-improve-gender-equality-failing-study/8664888?pfmredir=sm [abc.net.au]
have a read of this article, it's a real cack
they put ina policy to remove discrimination against women when hiring in the public service only to find that people generally discriminated *for* female candidates