Although his contributions to the field of genetics will probably continue to define his scholarly legacy, it seems that the final chapter of DNA pioneer James Watson’s career has been irrevocably marred by the reckless and inflammatory remarks he recently made about race and intelligence.

AP via Yahoo News:

Watson, 79, and the Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory in New York announced his departure Thursday. Watson was chancellor of the institution, and his retirement was effective immediately.

Watson was widely condemned last week for remarks he made in the Sunday Times Magazine of London on Oct. 14. A profile quoted him as saying that he’s “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.”

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#dna#intelligence#nobel prize#race#retirement#scientist