Nobel Prize Winner Scientist Selling His Medal

American scientist James Watson is one of the best-known figures in the field of biology. Watson, who worked together with the British scientist Francis Crick, discovered the double-helix structure of DNA. It was one of the ground-breaking discoveries of the 20th Century and also one of the most important works in human history. The pair earned a Nobel Prize for their accomplishment in 1962. Watson later became the head of the American government's part in the international Human Genome Project.

Watson was shunned for the last seven years due to remarks he made on race and intelligence during an interview with the The Times of London, The Guardian reported.

In October 2007 interview the pioneer scientist had suggested that people of African descent are not as intelligent as people of European descent. In other words, he said that black people were not of equal intelligence to white people.

Watson, who claims that he is not racist in a conventional way, was not able to give any lectures after his controversial interview. According to the Guardian, he had been sacked from the boards of companies and complained about the way he was treated afterwards. He said: "no one really wants to admit I exist."

Dr. Watson said that he wants to sell his Nobel Prize medal in an effort to "re-enter public life." Watson told the Guardian that with the money he would get from the sale of the medal, he would buy art and make donations to institutions he is associated with to enable himself to be a public personality again.

The estimated value of the medal could be as much as $2.2m according to some experts, according to the Guardian.