I went to James Watson’s talk at Harvard last night with some trepidation, fully expecting him to say something offensive about women or, as he says, “girls.” (He has quite a reputation for political incorrectness, to put it mildly.)

Well, the ever politically incorrect Watson did not disappoint. He said so many things that burned my ears that after a while, I found it to be just ridiculous and funny, and I had to laugh. I admit I laughed when, in response to a question about how to know when to give up on a research project and move on to something else, Watson said, “…when you find something else that interests you more. It’s like when you know it’s time to change girlfriends!”

He was in town promoting his new book, Avoid Boring People: Lessons from a Life in Science. Memorial Church on Harvard Yard was pretty full: some 300 people or so turned up, mainly undergrads and grad students from what I could tell.

Gender issues aside, I thought Watson was bang on about science careers and in his advice to young scientists. Here are some quotes from last night.

On careers in science

“You should think differently and see where it goes.”

“You should have at least one teacher who knows you and believes in you.”

“The purpose of grad school is to teach you how to do science. You don’t have to do anything special. As a postdoc, you should do something important…go for it!”

“Go into a field before it’s time, before other bright people go into it. But don’t do it unless you can get something important in three years.”

“Now PhDs are so stretched out. You get your first grant at 42! Who would want to be a scientist? Your best years are your 20s. You don’t have distractions, like chores or wives!”

“Leave a field before it bores you. Go for what excites you the most. The problem is some people stay with a subject for too long.”

“You should talk to your competitors…the answer will come out faster if you talk.” (Context: Watson said Rosalind Franklin, whose X-ray data on DNA were so crucial for Watson and Crick in figuring out the structure of DNA, didn’t talk enough. If she did, she would have been part of the discovery, he said.)

On writing
“Stay clear of modifiers.”

On the biggest questions in science today
“How are our brains so extraordinary? I would go into neuroscience.”

On scientists’ salaries and Harvard
“My salary is lower than that of a major league umpire. I’m not saying umpires get paid too much.”

“If Harvard wants to be a leader and change things, they should make the salaries (of professors) so that they are able to live around Harvard Square.

“You have to pay intellectuals what they’re worth….We’re not paid enough. Money does count! The system is not going to keep America where it was….Hollywood can’t keep America going.”

On women in science
“The more [women in science], the better, as long as you don’t outnumber us.”

On genetic enhancement of humans
“We’ve always wanted to make the world better. It would be hard to say we wouldn’t want to make people brighter. Would I make people prettier? Yes! What mother would look forward to her daughter not finding a husband?”