The Great Beyond

In this mix of controversies, you can add his recent remarks about Francis Collins' book and about religion.

http://www.lifeinresearch.com

How sad that a man like James Watson with all that he has achieved as an eminent scientist, and a Nobel Prize winner for medicine, is now emerging as a village fool speaking about an important area in which he has no real strengths. Despite the excuses this is a racist at heart. There is no scientific basis for his remarks. Arrogance, stupidity and racism seem to form a dangerous cocktail here.

Every single bit of IQ research shows that those of African ethnicity are significally less intelligent than other races.

Africa isn't impoverished because of a lack of money, Africa is impoverished because of a lack of intelligence.

Africans will always be poor.

This guy sure kicked over a hornets nest. I am in the middle of his book DNA The Secret of Life which is a fantastic summary of biotech. It's probably being pulled of book shelves already.

Mr. Watson is very correct in his recent controversial statement. Africans have not evolved at the same levels as other ethnic groups around the world. I refer to the book THE BELL CURVE where it is a documented fact that on average africans have a 10 point lower IQ score then caucasian. The truth hurts and we are not all created equal though it is not politically correct to say that. Refer back to Charles Darwin and access African's current state around the world!

The notion that Watson is a great scientist to be revered scientist is a joke. If it hadn't been for Crick- and the data they essentially 'stole' from Franklin- he'd be a nobody. He's a one trick pony. His sexism, egotism, homophobic comments, and blantant racism over the years says it all about him as a human being. He should be removed immediately from any affiliation with Cold Springs Harbor.

Watsongate has opened my eyes to the reluctance of the UK's scientific community to speak out and stand up for justice, and indeed, for science. I applaud Professor Steven Rose and others who had the guts to reject the Nobel Laureate's bigotry immediately and unequivocally.

This is in response to Steve and JT vass. I'm an african and I'm appalled to see such comments on the Nature blog. I suggest you to read some history books. The reason why Africa's prospects are poor is thanks to centuries of colonialism during which we were robbed, exploited and killed. Africa's rape continues even today with neocolonialism. As long as people such as Watson use their celebrity status to propagate their ignorance, unfortunately history will keep repeating itself. This is the truth that hurts.

The usual white lies and white comments made in order to deceive and to claim supremacy here we go again.

What are all your tests and experiments on?? What’s the order of the day in the creation of these tests? Is it White man made? Or are these tests natural in and undeniably scientific just like 1 + 1 = 2 and what is this so called scientific tests based on? If not the continuous caucasian White Lies and theories of deception and supremacy.

I wonder how you commentators and bigots would fair on a culturally biased Intelligence Test.

Your lies are white lies; they hold no truth and never will. Let the truth be told.

PS Most of you so called “Intelligent caucasians commentators posting here cant even speak English or comment in what you call your own language. This is laughable; you so called “intelligent people”.

Arrogance based on ignorance with foundations on lies and deceptions is what bests I see works everyday with the caucasian man.

Watson has just revealed what is happening whithin the scientific community. It is out of the fullness of the heart the mouth speak's. This are the reason's why black's dont get PhD positions,Postdoc's,faculty positions and even when a black race attends a scientific conference,him or her is being looked upon on how did this one happens to be here. Nature should truly investigate "The race issue whithin the scientific World".

Asians on average do best on IQ tests. The Chinese researcher Dr Bruce Lahn reported a genetic evolution that occurred in human beings about 6,000 years ago and is believed to be an important contributing factor in intelligence.

Scientists who have researched this mutation have found evidence that it was geographically dispersed in Europe, Asia, and North Africa. Sub-saharan Africa was geographically isolated by comparison, so the mutation occured there at a much lower incidence. This is not simple IQ sampling on racial lines - it's statistical data examining for the presence of a precise genetic trait that scientists believe to be connected to the brain's size and function.

This research appeared in one of the leading peer reviewed journals a year ago:

"Ongoing adaptive evolution of ASPM, a brain size determinant in Homo sapiens. Science, 309:1720 (2005).
Ben

Ben, are you inferring that there was one specific mutation that allowed for the development of higher intelligence. Furthermore, do you really believe that because people in sub-Saharan Africa lack this mutation they are less intelligent? Is it possible that they developed a different mutation that allowed for increased intelligence? Furthermore, those quoting that Africans obtain lower scores on the IQ test as a way to support the belief that whites are inherently superior are not taking in account the fact that the test are culturally biased, the test were designed to determine if a person is below average intelligence and should not be used for anything other than this, and stress can effect scores dramatically (war, poverty, oppression, hunger, etc). I guess my real question is why are some people desperately trying to assert that there "race" has supposed higher innate intelligence? Also, we have shown "race" is a social construct. I'm categorized as black, but I am of African descent, German, Scottish, Cherokee, and Seminole. In fact, my black mother is paler than most whites, has red hair, freckles, and hazel eyes. So, since "race" is a social construct and not a category based on ancestral groupings, how can we say one race is more intelligent than another?

I am a Nigerian. A black African and proud to be one. However, when someone reads and understands the evolution theory deep enough you will have no alternative but to agree with Watsons conclusions. It may sound cruel or racist, but the truth is that the black race is genetically lower in the rung of human development. This is not to say there are no smart blacks, but when you take it on the average there seems to be a margin. Evolution is a natural phenomenon and not the creation of Watson or some devilish scientists. Watson happened to be one of those that decoded the principles behind evolution. We do not need to sacrifice him for being bold or brave. Evolution is about "the survival of the fittest", and my plea is, what can the international community do such that the black race does not become extinct like the dodo before the next millenium.