The Nobel Prize gold medal awarded to the US scientist James Watson for discovering the structure of DNA has sold at auction for $4.8m. This is the first Nobel Prize medal to be put on sale by a living recipient. Watson is also known for his provocative comments. He was ostracized by the scientific community after he said racial discrimination against black people. That’s why he sold the medal. He planned to donate part of the proceeds to charities and to support scientific research.

I think it’s no problem that Watson sold his medal, because the decision is up to him. And he will donate to support other people from his $4.8m. This is the good way to use his money. However, I’m against his remark. It is unforgivable. He said “[I am] inherently gloomy about the prospect of Africa [because] all our social policies are based on the fact that their intelligence is the same as ours—whereas all the testing says not really.” He is genius in a scientific field, but he seems very stupid to make such a remark, and this comment is only the tip of the iceberg. Anyway, the medal was subsequently returned to Watson by the purchaser, Russian tycoon Alisher Usmanov, who stated that Watson deserved the medal and that it was “unacceptable” that he should be compelled to sell it.