This guy is sure popular among the blacks.

[LSixer]

LONDON, England (CNN) -- A British museum has canceled a lecture by Dr. James Watson, co-founder of the DNA double helix, after he claimed black people are less intelligent than whites in a recent newspaper interview.


James Watson won the 1962 Nobel prize for discovering the structure of DNA.

 Watson, who won the 1962 Nobel prize for his part in discovering the structure of DNA, provoked a storm of criticism after his comments were published in the Sunday Times.

The eminent biologist told the British newspaper he was "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."

Watson, 79, had been due to give a lecture at London's Science Museum on Friday but the museum canceled his appearance, saying his comments had "gone beyond the point of acceptable debate".

The American professor's words have been roundly condemned as "racist," with fellow scientists dismissing his claims as "genetic nonsense".

"He should recognize that statements of this sort have racist functions and are to be deeply, deeply regretted," said Professor Steven Rose of the British Open University.

Watson is credited with discovering the double helix along with Maurice Wilkins and Francis Crick in 1962.

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In the newspaper interview, he said there was no reason to think that races which had grown up in separate geographical locations should have evolved identically. He went on to say that although he hoped everyone was equal, "people who have to deal with black employees find this not true".

The British government's skills minister, David Lammy, who is black, called the comments "deeply offensive" and said Watson would only succeed in providing oxygen for extremist political groups.

"It is a shame that a man with a record of scientific distinction should see his work overshadowed by his own irrational prejudices," Lammy told CNN.

Watson is not the first scientist to show sympathy for the theory of a racial basis for intellectual difference. In March of last year Dr. Frank Ellis from Leeds University provoked anger in Britain after he admitted he found evidence that racial groups perform differently "extremely convincing."

[Polish Guy]

lol, i studied this in psychology class.

[LSixer]

As a teacher myself, I can say if you are investigating this, you have some progressive instructors there. GOOD FOR U!

[Tyrantmode]

Just out of curiosity... is there any credence to this?  I mean, I know it's the gut reaction to freak out when people say things like this (for most people anyway), but if he genuinely has research that points to that conclusion shouldn't that be something that is investigated?

Reminds me of that instance where some Harvard(?) professor said something about how men are better than women in mathematics due to gender preferences and studies showed that men just are simply better at it.  As I recall the guy got fired and lambasted, even though many studies actually pointed to that conclusion.  Whether they were accurate or not is a point of contention (no real opinion here), and I never did bother to look into it very much.

[LSixer]

Could very well be. I have to believe that there needs to be an extraordinary amount of supporting data to make a claim like that, and if there isnt, then he is really not only labeling himself as a racist, but as a quack as far a researcher. All I can say is that I dont think I would like to be the one that has to provide these conclusions. 

[GTIGeorge]

This man is cleary racist. It's a shame really. There is no evidence that people that are from an African decent are intellectually inferior- that is just preposterous. Imagine this... You have two 2007 BMW 330's, brand new, Zero miles, one is black and another is silver- There is no possiblilty that the silver one is more efficient than the black one, they are both engineered the exact same way. In essence, we are all fabricated of DNA, the same organs, the same tissue- yet we are RAISED in different fashions, thats what makes us different.