Editing James Watson (section)

===Later life===
In 2014, Watson published a paper in ''[[The Lancet]]'' suggesting that biological [[oxidant]]s may have a different role than is thought in diseases including diabetes, dementia, heart disease and cancer. For example, [[type 2 diabetes]] is usually thought to be caused by oxidation in the body that causes inflammation and kills off pancreatic cells. Watson thinks the root of that inflammation is different: "a lack of biological oxidants, not an excess", and discusses this in detail. One critical response was that the idea was neither new nor worthy of merit, and that ''The Lancet'' published Watson's paper only because of his name.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.theguardian.com/society/2014/feb/28/dna-pioneer-james-watson-theory-diseases|title=DNA pioneer James Watson sets out radical theory for range of diseases|author=Ian Sample|work=The Guardian|date=February 28, 2014|access-date=June 29, 2015}}</ref> Other scientists have expressed their support for his hypothesis and have proposed that it can also be expanded to why a lack of oxidants can result in cancer and its progression.<ref>{{cite journal|last1=Molenaar|first1=RJ|last2=van Noorden|first2=CJ|title=Type 2 diabetes and cancer as redox diseases?|journal=Lancet|date=September 6, 2014|volume=384|issue=9946|page=853|pmid=25209484|doi=10.1016/s0140-6736(14)61485-9|s2cid=28902284|doi-access=free}}</ref>

In 2014, Watson sold his [[Nobel Prize medal]] to raise money after complaining of being made an "unperson" following controversial statements he had made.<ref>{{cite news |last=Crow |first=David |title=James Watson to sell Nobel Prize medal |url=http://www.ft.com/intl/cms/s/0/5fb47ebe-75bc-11e4-a1a9-00144feabdc0.html |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/archive/20221210/http://www.ft.com/intl/cms/s/0/5fb47ebe-75bc-11e4-a1a9-00144feabdc0.html |archive-date=December 10, 2022 |url-access=subscription |access-date=December 1, 2014 |newspaper=Financial Times |date=November 28, 2014 |quote='Because I was an "unperson" I was fired from the boards of companies, so I have no income, apart from my academic income,' he said.}}</ref> Part of the funds raised by the sale went to support scientific research.<ref>{{cite web |title=DNA pioneer James Watson to sell Nobel Prize |last=Jones |first=Bryony |date=November 26, 2014 |url=https://edition.cnn.com/2014/11/25/world/james-watson-to-sell-nobel-prize/ |website=CNN International World News |publisher=CNN |access-date=November 30, 2014 |quote=Watson says he intends to use part of the money raised by the sale to fund projects at the universities and scientific research institutions he has worked at throughout his career.}}</ref> The medal sold at auction at [[Christie's]] in December 2014 for {{USD|4.1 million}}. Watson intended to contribute the proceeds to conservation work in Long Island and to funding research at Trinity College, Dublin.<ref>{{cite web|title=[Watson, James Dewey]. Nobel Prize Medal|url=http://www.christies.com/lotfinder/books-manuscripts/watson-james-dewey-nobel-prize-medal-in-5857953-details.aspx|publisher=Christies}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/science/11261872/James-Watson-selling-Nobel-prize-because-no-one-wants-to-admit-I-exist.html|title=James Watson selling Nobel prize 'because no-one wants to admit I exist'|work=The Telegraph|access-date=August 21, 2017|language=en}}</ref> He was the first living Nobel recipient to auction a medal.<ref>{{cite web |title=DNA Laureate James Watson's Nobel Medal Sells for $4.1M |author=Borrell, Brendan |work=[[Scientific American]] |date=December 5, 2014 |url=http://www.scientificamerican.com/article/dna-laureate-james-watson-s-nobel-medal-sells-for-4-1m/?print=true}}</ref> The medal was later returned to Watson by the purchaser, [[Alisher Usmanov]].<ref>{{cite news|title=Russia's Usmanov to give back Watson's auctioned Nobel medal|url=https://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-30406322|access-date=December 10, 2014|agency=BBC News|date=December 9, 2014}}</ref>