James Watson's Comment About the Intelligence of Blacks"...whereas all the testing says not really", Results in His Suspension From the Chancellorship of the Watson School of Biological Sciences at the Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory. (October 23, 2007)

Below is the report in ScienceNOW regarding repercussions following 79 year-old Nobel Laureate  James Watson's comment, reported in the October 14, 2007  Sunday Times which quoted Dr Watson as saying he is "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."

Sajeda Momin in India's Daily News and Analysis reports that while the Sunday Times stands by its story and the Science Museum in Kensington defends its cancellation of a scheduled lecture by Dr Watson, "Some British researchers are infuriated. They argue that scientists should be free to raise such questions, however unpalatable, provided they are scientifically justified, so they can be subjected to scientific and public scrutiny."

Professor Colin Blakemore, neuroscientist at Oxford University and former chief executive of the Medical Research Council said, "It is outrageous to ban someone based on newspaper reports of their views. Jim Watson is well known for being provocative and politically incorrect. But it would be a sad world if such a distinguished scientist was silenced because of his unpalatable views."

EURweb quotes Dr Watson more fully than the ScienceNOW report: "I am mortified about what has happened. More importantly, I cannot understand how I could have said what I am quoted as having said. I can certainly understand why people, reading those words, have reacted in the ways they have. To all those who have drawn the inference from my words that Africa, as a continent, is somehow genetically inferior, I can only apologize unreservedly. That is not what I meant. More importantly from my point of view, there is no scientific basis for such a belief."

Professor Blakemore has a valid point and the Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory in administrating a summary sentence hasn't improved matters.

So far Dr Watson hasn't explained what he did mean; he should be given a chance to do so, and he must respond.

Note added October 26: Dr Watson has resigned the chancellorship of the Watson School of Biological Sciences at the Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory. In his statement, Dr Watson said that because of his age, his retirement was "more than overdue. The circumstances in which this transfer is occurring, however, are not those which I could ever have anticipated or desired."

According to a report in the October 25 Guardian Dr Watson was also quoted as saying: "that while he hopes everyone is equal, 'people who have to deal with black employees find this is not true.' He also said people should not be discriminated against on the basis of colour, because 'there are many people of colour who are very talented'".