LONDON , England ( CNN ) -- A British museum has canceled a lecture by Dr. James Watson , co-discoverer of the DNA double helix , after he claimed black people are less intelligent than whites in a recent newspaper interview . James Watson won the 1962 Nobel prize for discovering the structure of DNA . Watson , who won the 1962 Nobel prize for his part in discovering the structure of DNA , provoked a storm of criticism after his comments were published in the Sunday Times . The eminent biologist told the British newspaper 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 . '' Watson , 79 , had been due to give a lecture at London 's Science Museum on Friday but the museum canceled his appearance , saying his comments had `` gone beyond the point of acceptable debate . '' The American professor 's words have been roundly condemned as `` racist , '' with fellow scientists dismissing his claims as `` genetic nonsense . '' `` He should recognize that statements of this sort have racist functions and are to be deeply , deeply regretted , '' said Professor Steven Rose of the British Open University . Watson is credited with discovering the double helix along with Maurice Wilkins and Francis Crick in 1962 . In the newspaper interview , he said there was no reason to think that races which had grown up in separate geographical locations should have evolved identically . He went on to say that although he hoped everyone was equal , `` people who have to deal with black employees find this not true '' . The British government 's skills minister , David Lammy , who is black , called the comments `` deeply offensive '' and said Watson would only succeed in providing oxygen for extremist political groups . `` It is a shame that a man with a record of scientific distinction should see his work overshadowed by his own irrational prejudices , '' Lammy told CNN . Watson is not the first scientist to show sympathy for the theory of a racial basis for intellectual difference . In March of last year Dr. Frank Ellis from Leeds University provoked anger in Britain after he admitted he found evidence that racial groups perform differently `` extremely convincing . '' E-mail to a friend .
Museum cancels lecture by DNA researcher James Watson . Prize winner said in interview that black are less intelligent than whites . Comments denounced as racist .