In an example of revenge being best served cold, racial and inconclusive, an Icelandic company called deCODE Genetics claims that 16% of James Watson's genes likely come from a black ancestor of African descent. Most people of European descent generally have no more than 1% genes of black African descent, so it points to an increased probability that Watson had a black great grandparent. So I guess a Christmas dinner at the Watson's that was already going to be quiet will only get quieter. "Grandpa Watson, will you pass the black-eyed peas....I mean, cowpeas?" See? Awkward.
If you'll recall, Watson got s***canned from the Cold Spring Harbor labs for making racist comments, so a few of his critics are relishing this ironic twist of fate.
Sir John Sulston, the Nobel laureate who helped lead the consortium that decoded the human genome, said the discovery was ironic in view of Watson’s opinions on race. “I never did agree with Watson’s remarks,” he said. “We do not understand enough about intelligence to generalise about race.”
Oh, snap! Where'd you learn to smack-talk like that, Sulston? The Elstree Squash courts? But it isn't all so simple as "wham, bam, you're now an African, racist."
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