 An editorial in "Nature" said that his remarks were "beyond the pale" but expressed a wish that the tour had not been canceled so that Watson would have had to face his critics in person, encouraging scientific discussion on the matter.Because of the controversy, the Board of Trustees at Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory suspended Watson's administrative responsibilities.Watson issued an apology, then retired at the age of 79 from CSHL from what the lab called "nearly 40 years of distinguished service".