Watson, co-discoverer of the DNA helix, has recent African roots

James Watson, famous DNA pioneer, was found, in a genetic test, to share approximately 16% of his genes with his African ancestors. A percentage this high is typically seen only in people with an African greatgrandparent.


The news is of particular interest because Watson drew widespread condemnation in late 2007 after making racist comments about the inferior intelligence of Africans. Specifically statingthat he was "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." The backlash created from Watson’s comments resulted in his resignation as chancellor of Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory in New York state after 39 years.

Mr. Watson is not alone in getting surprising results from an ethnicity test. Many people have ancestry that they are not aware of.


Hopefully, these test results will serve as a reminder to Watson and others that all humans came out of Africa originally, and despite perceived differences, we are far more alike than different. Ethnicity DNA testing, in addition to being a fun way to learn more about your ancestry, may also serve to increase understanding of just how interconnected we are as a human race. As testing becomes more common, people will hopefully begin to abandon the false notion that there are extreme genetic differences between people of different races.

The fact is that the genetic difference between two individuals of the same race can be greater than those between individuals of different races.