Why do so many scientists have autism and related issues? How does autism help scientific discovery? I used to attend an elite university in Asia and practically every top-ranking science professor was extremely socially awkward, even borderline crazy/sociopathic. I distinctly remember the day a heavyset Sudanese woman strolled into a chemistry class and the professor, in a thick Chinese accent, yelled "Behold! Attack of the 500-Kilogram Negress!" in front of the entire class and then stomped around ponderously and growled before starting the lecture. How can someone so smart and high-performing have such an severe deficit of social awareness?