Another example that being a genius doesn’t cure bigotry: Noble-Laureate James Watson, co-discoverer of DNA double helix, was a racist and a sexist (archive.ph)

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cross-posted from: https://lemmy.ml/post/38694310

Often celebrated as a pioneer of genetics alongside Francis Crick, racist and sexist remarks tarnished his reputation in later years.

Often celebrated as a pioneer of genetics, allegations of uncredited work and discriminatory and inflammatory remarks cast a shadow over his legacy.

He was accused of making racist and sexist observations and was quoted as favoring genetic engineering to do away with "stupidity" and make "all girls pretty."

The scientist's "legacy in regard to eugenics is complex," Lombardo said. Although Watson helped found an ethics office at NIH and condemned state-sponsored eugenics programs that included forced sterilization, his repeated remarks indicating that racism might be genetically justified tarnished his reputation.

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[-] hellinkilla@hexbear.net 2 points 2 months ago* (last edited 2 months ago)

Wasn't there a woman who did a lot of the work but never got so much credit?

[-] Philosoraptor@hexbear.net 2 points 2 months ago

Rosalind Franklin, yes. She was the (PhD holding) person responsible for the X-ray crystallography imaging that led to the discovery of the double helix. She was also a huge figure later on in the study of viral structures. She died of ovarian cancer in her 30s, and a few decades later a man got a Nobel prize for pursuing the work she was doing with viruses. She's briefly acknowledged in the Watson and Crick paper on DNA, but the level of her contribution almost certainly warranted co-author status instead of a footnote.