Nobel Prize-Winning Scientist Criticizes Role of Women In Labs

An anonymous reader writes: Tim Hunt is an English biochemist most notable for winning the 2001 Nobel prize in physiology or medicine. Today he's become notable for something else entirely — at the World Conference of Science Journalists, Hunt suggested science labs should be segregated by gender. He said, "Let me tell you about my trouble with girls three things happen when they are in the lab You fall in love with them, they fall in love with you and when you criticize them, they cry." As you might expect, this set off a firestorm of criticism. Many asked Hunt to treat women in labs with the same respect he is afforded, and others held it up as an explicit example of the sexism that pervades the scientific community. Hunt later issued an apology, saying, "I'm very sorry that what I thought were light hearted ironic remarks were taken so seriously, and I'm very sorry if people took offence. I certainly did not mean to demean women, but rather be honest about my own shortcomings."

Comments

Trollbait

[Anonymous Coward]

Yes, since he said he was trying to be light-hearted and he apologized, so, instead of the starting the flamewar they asked for, let's flame /. for obvious trolling.

Someone said something that they didn't think about, then, when confronted, apologized for being not well thought out NOT NEWS.

Re:Trollbait

[PopeRatzo]

There are lots of jokes about, say, black people or Jews that people find offensive and aren't suitable for retelling at a conference about issues facing black people or Jews.

So, two MRAs walk into a bar. One of the MRAs shouts to the bartender, "Hey, Joe. Set 'em up for me and my pal here." Then he turns to his slightly dim partner and boasts, "This is a great bar. For every two drinks you buy, the house gives you one. And the pinball machines in the back are free!" "That's not so great, "responds the slightly dim second MRA, "There's a bar across town That'll match you drink for drink, and you can get laid in the back for free." "Where is this place?" the first MRA exclaims. "Oh, I don't know," the dim MRA replies, "but my wife goes there all the time."