Perhaps one of the biggest scientific news stories this week is the racial remark by James Watson, who (apparently) cancelled his UK tour and now went home. I was about to see him at Cambridge later this month, but it looks like that is not going to happen. So perhaps I shall at least browse his new book “Avoid Boring People: Lessons from a Life in Science”, which he was supposed to promote in UK.

Although I have read some of his books previously, I never learned a really useful lesson from them. It is difficult for me to take them seriously because I have been told that he often makes stories up. Moreover, his advice in the books, such as “take risks”, is mostly shallow and only reasonably meaningful because it was said by a very famous scientist.

Then, now his racial outburst. It was not surprising to me since he said something like that before. However, this scandal reminds me of a lesson, which is perhaps more important than anything else he says in the new book. Scientific research is funded by public who believe one day it will transform their life. Therefore scientists particularly if they are well known, have intellectual responsibility to hold up the right scientific attitude which is firmly based on evidence rather than prejudice or guess. Since he is suspended by CSHL, Dr. Watson can perhaps set up a research institute which is fully funded by his own earning so that he can learn how much he owe his success to the support from public who he has just offended in the most revolting manner.