Science would attract many more talented people if salaries were much higher, one of the world's leading scientists has said.
Dr James Watson (79) won the Nobel Prize along with colleague Francis Crick for their work in discovering the "double helix" in 1953, still regarded as one of the most important scientific breakthroughs of the 20th century.
Dr Watson was made an honorary fellow of the Royal Irish Academy last night. Prof David McConnell, professor of genetics at Trinity College Dublin and chairman of The Irish Times Trust, described Dr Watson as "truly a giant of our times" whose discovery revolutionised biology.
Dr Watson was asked by Irish Timesscience editor Dick Ahlstrom during a lengthy public interview to explain why so many young people seemed reluctant to pursue a career in science.
Dr Watson said students would be "dumb to go into science" given the salaries involved and that he could only enjoy the lifestyle he has because of a number of best-selling books he wrote.
"You would double the number if you doubled the salaries," he added.
Some of the top Harvard science professors could not afford to buy a house in the Harvard area because they were not being paid enough, he said.
"I told the president of Harvard that the salaries of Harvard scientists should be the same as those who teach in the business school and now they are. And that sends a message that there is potentially more incentive for giving your life up to science."
Dr Watson, who has been vocal throughout his long career in the promotion of public science, said his profession was "virtually autistic" as a group in promoting itself and its work.
"We don't know how to move out in society. Some don't see the necessity of being responsible or that they have to spend part of their life with the general public saying that the work they are doing is important," he said.
Dr Watson, founder of the Human Genome Project, was the first person in the world to have his entire genome mapped, a process that involved three billion different sequence. The process cost €1 million, but is likely to be a fraction of that in the future.
He said he was in favour of genetic engineering "as far as it helps humans".
"The majority of people would benefit from being enhanced genetically."
He believed that the people who could benefit from the manipulation of genes would be rich people first and foremost, but there would be a trickle-down effect. "As long as the benefits would eventually be available to all people, I don't think I would have any moral problems with it."
