>>12540796He was good at talking and schmoozing other people. The real mental power was Crick who was a biophysicist. Watson was just good at getting to the right people and getting the right data to Crick.
Unlike what
>>12540809 is implying, watson was very good at communication. It was his primary scientific skill. While I do think the guy is a douche who got lucky, there is something to be said about the need for good communicators in the field. After his nobel prize though his head went fully up it's own ass and he lost the humility needed to communicate well. Part of why he didn't put out any really good results after the double helix. Even his stint with the human genome project was unsuccessful.
