Quotes from James D. Watson

On the other hand, the sun of Naples might be conducive to learning something about the biochemistry of the embryonic development of marine animals.

One could not be a successful scientist without realizing that, in contrast to the popular conception supported by newspapers and mothers of scientists, a goodly number of scientists are not only narrow-minded and dull, but also just stupid.

Most academic battles involve space or faculty appointments and promotions.

The key to Linus' success was his reliance on the simple laws of structural chemistry. The ?-helix had not been found by only staring at X-ray pictures; the essential trick, instead, was to ask which atoms like to sit next to each other. In place of pencil and paper, the main working tools were a set of molecular models superficially resembling the toys of preschool children

Desde el momento en el que el primero de nuestros antepasados convirtió un palo en una lanza, las consecuencias de los conflictos a lo largo de la historia han sido impuestas por la tecnologia.

en realidad lo que ha moldeado la historia de la humanidad, al menos a nivel genético, ha sido esa migración femenina realizada paso a paso, de pueblo en pueblo.

Yo tengo la intuición de que los humanos somos sencillamente grandes simios con unos cuantos interruptores genéticos exclusivos -y especiales-.

En la actual polémica, mientras nuestra sociedad se detiene en una ignorancia mojigata, haríamos bien en recordar lo mucho que hay en juego: la salud de los hambrientos y la conservación de nuestro legado más precioso, el medio ambiente.

Though only about one half the mass of a bacterial virus was DNA (the other half being protein), Avery's experiment made it smell like the essential genetic material.

O. T. Avery was carrying out experiments at the Rockefeller Institute in New York which showed that hereditary traits could be transmitted from one bacterial cell to another by purified DNA molecules.

I am sure this occasionally bothered Francis, even though he obviously knew that most High Table life is dominated by pedantic, middle aged men incapable of either amusing or educating him in anything worthwhile.

'Genes, Girls, and Gamow' was an attempt, even more than 'The Double Helix,' to mix science with one's personal life. With 'The Double Helix,' no one had done it before, but I thought I'd try.

One could not be a successful scientist without realizing that, in contrast to the popular conception supported by newspapers and mothers of scientists, a goodly number of scientists are not only narrow-minded and dull, but also just stupid.

If scientists don't play God, who will?

If we don't play God, who will?

The luckiest thing that ever happened to me was that my father didn't believe in God, and so he had no hang-ups about souls.

Great wealth could make an enormous difference over the next decade if they sensibly support the scientific elite. Just the elite. Because the elite makes most of the progress. You should worry about people who produce really novel inventions, not pedantic hacks.

I was always very curious about what a scientist's life was like when I was young. Of course, when I was young, you didn't have very many opportunities to find out with no web, TV. I was very lucky: I was born in the city of Chicago and went to the University of Chicago where I actually saw things.

I want to see cancer cured in my lifetime. It might be.

I don't want to die until I see cancer cured.

There are many people of color who are very talented.

The biggest advantage to believing in God is you don't have to understand anything, no physics, no biology. I wanted to understand.

One of the greatest gifts science has brought to the world is continuing elimination of the supernatural.

Knowing "why" (an idea) is more important than learning "what" (the fact).