HOWZAT

He has served for 50 years as a director of the Cold Spring Harbour Laboratory on Long Island, considered a world leader in research into cancer and genetics.

Dr Watson is no stranger to controversy. He has been reported in the past saying that a woman should have the right to abort her unborn child if tests could determine it would be homosexual.

In addition, he has suggested a link between skin colour and sex drive, proposing a theory that black people have higher libidos.

He also claimed that beauty could be genetically manufactured, saying: “People say it would be terrible if we made all girls pretty. I think it would be great.”

Commenting on Dr Watson’s current views about race, Steven Rose, a professor of biological sciences at the Open University, said: “This is Watson at his most scandalous. He has said similar things about women before but I have never heard him get into this racist terrain.

He added: “If he knew the literature in the subject he would know he was out of his depth scientifically, quite apart from socially and politically.”

A spokeswoman for the Science Museum said it was looking into “things” concerning the security of the event on Friday.

She said: “This kind of thing always generates debate.”

James Watson speaking engagements in UK

You can see and hear James Watson talking about his new book Avoid Boring People at the following venues:

Friday, October 19

12.30-2pm Blackwell, Wellcome Collection – book signing only

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