Editing James Watson (section)

===Comments on race===
At a conference in 2000, Watson suggested a link between skin color and sex drive, hypothesizing that dark-skinned people have stronger [[libido]]s.<ref name="chronicle"/><ref name="British Medical Journal - Melanotan">{{cite journal | last1 = Thompson | first1 = C. | last2 = Berger | first2 = A. | year = 2000 | title = Agent provocateur pursues happiness | journal = British Medical Journal | volume = 321 | issue = 7252| page = 12 | pmid = 10875824 | doi = 10.1136/bmj.321.7252.12 | pmc = 1127681}}</ref> His lecture argued that extracts of [[melanin]]—which gives skin its color—had been found to boost subjects' sex drive. "That's why you have [[Latin lover]]s", he said, according to people who attended the lecture. "You've never heard of an English lover. Only an [[The English Patient|English Patient]]."<ref>{{cite web|url=https://abcnews.go.com/Technology/WireStory?id=3743042&page=1 |title=UK Museum Cancels Scientist's Lecture |work=[[ABC News (United States)|ABC News]] |date=October 17, 2007 |access-date=May 28, 2008 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110628201051/http://abcnews.go.com/Technology/WireStory?id=3743042&page=1 |archive-date=June 28, 2011}}</ref> He has also said that stereotypes associated with racial and ethnic groups have a genetic basis: Jews being intelligent, Chinese being intelligent but not creative because of selection for conformity, and Indians being servile because of selection under caste endogamy.<ref>{{Cite book|last=Reich |first=David. |title=Who We Are and How We Got Here |year=2019 |publisher=[[Oxford University Press]] |location=Oxford |isbn=978-0-19-882125-0|page=263}}</ref> Regarding intelligence differences between blacks and whites, Watson has asserted that "all our social policies are based on the fact that their (blacks) intelligence is the same as ours (whites) – whereas all the testing says not really&nbsp;... people who have to deal with black employees find this not true."<ref>{{Cite web|last=Wagenseil|first=Paul|date=2015-03-25|title=DNA Discoverer: Blacks Less Intelligent Than Whites|url=https://www.foxnews.com/story/dna-discoverer-blacks-less-intelligent-than-whites|access-date=2021-11-24|website=Fox News|language=en-US}}</ref>

Watson has repeatedly asserted that [[race and intelligence|differences in average measured IQ]] between blacks and whites are due to genetics.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.independent.co.uk/news/science/fury-at-dna-pioneers-theory-africans-are-less-intelligent-than-westerners-394898.html|first=Cahal |last=Milmo
|title=Fury at DNA pioneer's theory: Africans are less intelligent than Westerners|work=The Independent|date=October 17, 2007}}</ref><ref>{{cite magazine|last=Crawford|first=Hayley|title=Short Sharp Science: James Watson menaced by hoodies shouting 'racist!'|url=https://www.newscientist.com/blogs/shortsharpscience/2011/04/james-watson-menaced-by-hoodie.html|magazine=New Scientist|access-date=April 24, 2014|quote=... 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'.|archive-date=January 10, 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180110054711/https://www.newscientist.com/blogs/shortsharpscience/2011/04/james-watson-menaced-by-hoodie.html|url-status=dead}}</ref><ref name="Comments2018">Harmon, Amy (January 1, 2019). [https://www.nytimes.com/2019/01/01/science/watson-dna-genetics-race.html "James Watson Had a Chance to Salvage His Reputation on Race. He Made Things Worse."] ''The New York Times''. Retrieved January 1, 2019.</ref> In early October 2007, he was interviewed by Charlotte Hunt-Grubbe at [[Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory]] (CSHL). He discussed his view that Africans are less intelligent than Westerners.<ref name="thetimes2007">{{Cite news| url=https://www.thetimes.com/uk/science/article/the-elementary-dna-of-dr-watson-gllb6w2vpdr | location=London | work=The Times | title=The elementary DNA of Dr Watson | first=Charlotte | last=Hunt-Grubbe | date=October 14, 2007}}</ref><ref name="Africans">{{cite news|last=Milmo|first=Cahal|title=Fury at DNA pioneer's theory: Africans are less intelligent than Westerners|url=https://www.independent.co.uk/news/science/fury-at-dna-pioneers-theory-africans-are-less-intelligent-than-westerners-394898.html|access-date=July 9, 2013|newspaper=The Independent|date=October 17, 2013|location=London}}</ref><ref name=Suspension>{{cite news|last=Peck|first=Sally|title=James Watson suspended over racism claims|url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/uknews/1566699/James-Watson-suspended-over-racism-claims.html|access-date=December 5, 2013|newspaper=The Telegraph|date=October 17, 2007|location=London}}</ref> Watson said his intention was to promote science, not racism, but some UK venues canceled his appearances,<ref name="Museum Drop">[http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/england/london/7050020.stm "Museum drops race row scientist"]. ''BBC News''. October 18, 2007. Retrieved October 24, 2007.</ref> and he canceled the rest of his tour.<ref name="Syal">Syal, Rajeev (October 19, 2007). [https://www.thetimes.com/uk/science/article/nobel-scientist-who-sparked-race-row-says-sorry-i-didnt-mean-it-5v3sl08f23k "Nobel scientist who sparked race row says sorry — I didn't mean it"], ''The Times''. Retrieved May 11, 2022.</ref><ref name="IHT">"Watson Returns to USA after race row", ''International Herald Tribune'', October 19, 2007.<!-- Access date removed - meaningless without a URL --></ref><ref>{{Cite journal|last=Watson |first=James |date=September–October 2007 |title='Blinded by Science'. An exclusive excerpt from Watson's new memoir, ''Avoid Boring People: Lessons from a Life in Science'' |journal=02138 Magazine |page=102 |url=http://www.02138mag.com/magazine/article/1488-3.html |access-date=November 28, 2007 |quote=As we find the human genes whose malfunctioning gives rise to such devastating developmental failures, we may well discover that sequence differences within many of them also lead to much of the observable variation in human IQs. A priori, there is no firm reason to anticipate that the intellectual capacities of peoples geographically separated in their evolution should prove to have evolved identically. Our desire to reserve equal powers of reason as some universal heritage of humanity will not be enough to make it so. |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20071024075358/http://www.02138mag.com/magazine/article/1488-3.html |archive-date=October 24, 2007}}</ref><ref>{{cite magazine |first=Jerry A. |last=Coyne |url=http://entertainment.timesonline.co.uk/tol/arts_and_entertainment/the_tls/article3039959.ece |title=The complex James Watson |magazine=[[Times Literary Supplement]] |date=December 12, 2007 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110615095029/http://entertainment.timesonline.co.uk/tol/arts_and_entertainment/the_tls/article3039959.ece |archive-date=2011-06-15}}</ref> An editorial in ''Nature'' said that his remarks were "beyond the pale" but expressed a wish that the tour had not been canceled so that Watson would have had to face his critics in person, encouraging scientific discussion on the matter.<ref name="Nature">[http://www.nature.com/nature/journal/v449/n7165/full/449948a.html "Watson's folly"], ''Nature'', October 24, 2007. Retrieved September 27, 2008.</ref> Because of the controversy, the board of trustees at Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory suspended Watson's administrative responsibilities.<ref name="Independent">Watson, J. D. [https://www.independent.co.uk/voices/commentators/james-watson-to-question-genetic-intelligence-is-not-racism-5328720.html "James Watson: To question genetic intelligence is not racism"], ''The Independent'', October 19, 2007. Retrieved October 24, 2007</ref> Watson issued an apology,<ref name="cnn.com">van Marsh, A. [http://www.cnn.com/2007/WORLD/europe/10/18/nobel.apology/index.html "Nobel-winning biologist apologizes for remarks about blacks"], ''CNN'', October 19, 2007. Retrieved October 24, 2007.</ref> then retired at the age of 79 from CSHL from what the lab called "nearly 40 years of distinguished service".<ref name=CSHL>{{cite press release | url=http://www.cshl.edu/Archive/dr-james-d-watson-retires-as-chancellor-of-cold-spring-harbor-laboratory | title=Dr. James D. Watson Retires as Chancellor of Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory | publisher=Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory | date=October 25, 2007 | access-date=August 31, 2011 | archive-date=February 27, 2014 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140227114959/http://www.cshl.edu/Archive/dr-james-d-watson-retires-as-chancellor-of-cold-spring-harbor-laboratory | url-status=dead}}</ref><ref name=NYT>{{cite news|title=Announcement by Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2007/10/25/science/26watpr.html|access-date=December 5, 2013|newspaper=The New York Times|date=October 25, 2007}}</ref> Watson attributed his retirement to his age and to circumstances that he could never have anticipated or desired.<ref name="cshl.edu">Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory. October 18, 2007. [http://www.cshl.edu/public/releases/07_statement2.html Statement by Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory Board of Trustees and President Bruce Stillman, PhD Regarding Dr. Watson's Comments in The Sunday Times on October 14, 2007]. Press release. Retrieved October 24, 2007. {{webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100910182221/http://www.cshl.edu/public/releases/07_statement2.html |date=September 10, 2010}}</ref><ref name="LATimes">Wigglesworth, K. (October 26, 2007). [https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-2007-oct-26-sci-watson26-story.html "DNA pioneer quits after race comments"]. ''The Los Angeles Times''. Retrieved December 5, 2007</ref><ref name="Resign">[http://www.cnn.com/2007/TECH/science/10/25/watson.resigns/index.html "Nobel prize-winning biologist resigns"], ''CNN'', October 25, 2007. Retrieved on October 25, 2007.</ref>

In 2008, Watson was appointed chancellor emeritus of CSHL<ref name="CSHL bio">{{cite web|url=http://library.cshl.edu/personal-collections/james-d-watson|publisher=cshl.edu |year=2013 |access-date=June 12, 2013 |title=Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory James D. Watson |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130524143755/http://www.cshl.edu/gradschool/Non-Research-Faculty/james-d-watson |archive-date=May 24, 2013}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.cshl.edu/About-Us/History/|title=CSHLHistory – About Us|author=WebServices|access-date=June 29, 2015}}</ref> but continued to advise and guide project work at the laboratory.<ref name=2009_back /> In a BBC documentary that year, Watson said he did not see himself as a racist.<ref name=bbcdoc>[http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=-1424386236177531815#28m0s Video: BBC 2 Horizon: The President's Guide to Science] {{webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100531191720/http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=-1424386236177531815#28m0s |date=May 31, 2010}}, September 16, 2008, see 28:00 to 34:00 mark</ref>

In January 2019, following the broadcast of a television documentary made the previous year in which he repeated his views about race and genetics, CSHL revoked honorary titles that it had awarded to Watson and cut all remaining ties with him.<ref>{{cite web| url=https://www.cshl.edu/statement-by-cold-spring-harbor-laboratory-addressing-remarks-by-dr-james-d-watson-in-american-masters-decoding-watson/| publisher=Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory| title=Statement by Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory addressing remarks by Dr. James D. Watson in 'American Masters: Decoding Watson' | date=January 11, 2019|access-date=January 13, 2019}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.bbc.com/news/world-us-canada-46856779|title=James Watson: Scientist loses titles after claims over race|date=January 13, 2019|work=BBC News|access-date=January 13, 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190113184300/https://www.bbc.com/news/world-us-canada-46856779|archive-date=January 13, 2019}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2019/01/11/science/watson-dna-genetics.html|title=Lab Severs Ties With James Watson, Citing 'Unsubstantiated and Reckless' Remarks|last=Harmon|first=Amy|date=January 11, 2019|work=The New York Times|access-date=January 12, 2019|language=en-US|issn=0362-4331}}</ref> Watson did not respond to the developments.<ref>{{cite news |last1=Durkin |first1=Erin |title=DNA scientist James Watson stripped of honors over views on race |url=https://www.theguardian.com/world/2019/jan/13/james-watson-scientist-honors-stripped-reprehensible-race-comments |work=The Guardian |date=January 13, 2019}}</ref>