A Nobel prize-winning scientist has defended his comments which suggested 'distracting' women should be banned from laboratories, saying: 'I just meant to be honest'.

British Nobel laureate Sir Tim Hunt told a conference that female colleagues should work in women-only environments because they either 'fall in love with you' or cry when they are criticised.

The 72-year-old, who won the 2001 Nobel Prize in medicine, reportedly told the World Conference of Science Journalists in South Korea: 'Let me tell you about my trouble with girls.

'Three things happen when they are in the lab: you fall in love with them, they fall in love with you, and when you criticise them they cry.'

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British Nobel laureate Sir Tim Hunt told a conference that female colleagues cry when criticised and 'fall in love with you'

His remarks were reported online by Connie St Louis, a science journalism lecturer at City University, London

In the lecture in which he promoted the benefit of single-sex research laboratories, he also admitted to his audience of female scientists that he was a 'chauvinist pig'.

Today, following a huge backlash online, Sir Tim - who is married to a female science professor - apologised for his comments, insisting the remarks were 'light-hearted' and 'ironic'.

But he admitted that he 'did mean the part about having trouble with girls' and had just wanted to be 'honest' because it was important for all those in lab to be on a 'level playing field'.

It came after The Royal Society, of which Sir Tim is a fellow, has already distanced itself from the remarks, tweeting: 'Tim Hunt’s comments don’t reflect our views.'

The revered scientist told the BBC: 'I have fallen in love with people in the lab and people in the lab have fallen in love with me and it's very disruptive to the science because it's terribly important that in a lab people are on a level playing field.

'It's terribly important that you can criticise people's ideas without criticising them and if they burst into tears, it means that you tend to hold back from getting at the absolute truth.

'Science is about nothing but getting at the truth and anything that gets in the way of that diminishes, in my experience, the science.'

He added: 'What was intended as a light-hearted, ironic comment apparently was interpreted deadly seriously by my audience.

'I'm really, really sorry I caused any offence, that's awful. I just meant to be honest, actually.'

Science careers are still vastly dominated by men, with only 13 per cent of workers being women. The gap is also significant in academia, where 84 per cent of full-time professors working in science, engineering and technology are men.

The Royal Society, of which Sir Tim is a fellow, distanced themselves from his remarks last night.

A statement read: 'The Royal Society believes that in order to achieve everything that it can, science needs to make the best use of the research capabilities of the entire population.

'Too many talented individuals do not fulfil their scientific potential because of issues such as gender and the Society is committed to helping to put this right.

'Sir Tim Hunt was speaking as an individual and his reported comments in no way reflect the views of the Royal Society.'

Sir Tim is married to Mary Collins, a professor of immunology at University College London

His remarks were reported online by Connie St Louis, a science journalism lecturer at City University, London.

She commented: 'Really, does this Nobel laureate think we are still in Victorian times?'

Addressing the Royal Society, she wrote: 'A female president of the Royal Society would go a long way to illustrate and underscore your commitment to a 'diverse science workforce'.

'There are many women scientists who could do the job and then perhaps Fellows like Tim Hunt would take this matter more seriously.'

She also told Radio 4's Today programme that the experience was 'awful'.

She said: 'After he had finished, there was this deathly silence.

'A lot of my colleagues sat down and were taking notes because they couldn't believe in this day and age that somebody would be prepared to stand up and be so crass, so rude in a different culture and actually to be so openly sexist as well.

'It wasn't funny. It's so simplistic that it hardly bears thinking about.'

After her tweets, critics lambasted the scientist on Twitter, describing him as 'chauvanist', 'sexist' and 'an unpleasant dolt'.

Mathew Lyons wrote: 'Tim Hunt's comments on women in science are a perfect example of how someone can be both brilliant and thick as mince at the same time.'

While Lucy Inglis tweeted: 'Tim Hunt, there. Proving there's no upper IQ limit to being an unpleasant dolt.'

Dr Huxtable also wrote: 'Ah, the laydeez- disrupting all that manly science with their alluring girlish ways and talk of kittens, eh Tim Hunt?'

While Sara May wrote: 'Nothing says has a long way to go like Tim Hunt's comments to a room full of top female Korean scientists.'

And Rupert Myers derided Sir Tim's comments, tweeting: 'Just imagining Tim Hunt spending his career fending off legions of female admirers swooning over his sexist views. Probably needs a stick.'

Another mocked the scientist, saying: 'Just look at that monstrous seductress Marie Curie ruining everything for Pierre. Oh wait.' The couple worked together to be jointly awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in Physics.

Prominent scientists also spoke out against the comments.

Neuroscientist Uta Frith described the remarks as a Watson moment, referring to Novel Prize winner James Watson's comments on the supposed intellectual inferiority of black people.

'We're all upset by Tim Hunt's chauvinist remarks,' she tweeted.

The Royal Society, which has its headquarters in Carlton House Terrace in London (pictured), has distanced itself from Sir Tim's remarks

Professor Sophie Scott, who teaches at the same university as Sir Tim's wife, tweeted: 'I am in the office, but I can't do my science work as I saw a photograph of #TimHunt and now I'm in love, dammit.'

And David Colquhoun, emeritus professor of pharmacology at University College London, said Hunt’s comments were a 'disaster for the advancement of women'.

Meanwhile, Dr Jennifer Rohn, a cell biologist at University College London, told the BBC that Sir Tim had 'some sort of responsibility as a role model and as an ambassador for the profession'.

She said: 'Things like that are going to be taken to heart by some young female scientists and I think that is a real shame because we still have a very long way to go to get equality in the sciences.'

Dr Rohn said she had shared platforms with Sir Tim's wife Mary Collins and added: 'I'm sure she doesn't approve of these comments. They must have been intended as a joke but that's no excuse.'

Really, does this Nobel laureate think we are still in Victorian times? Connie St Louis, science journalism lecturer

Sir Tim, a Cambridge graduate, became a fellow of the Royal Society in 1991. Ten years later he was awarded the Nobel prize for physiology or medicine alongside Lee Hartwell and Paul Nurse for their discoveries of 'key regulators of the cell cycle'.

He is married to fellow scientist Mary Collins, a professor of immunology at University College London, and has two daughters.

Last year, Dr Matt Taylor, the British scientist working on the European Space Agency's Rosetta Project, was forced to apologise for speaking about the Philae landing while dressed in a colourful shirt featuring scantily-clad women.

Many vented their anger on Twitter, claiming that Dr Taylor's choice of shirt was sexist and particularly inappropriate as science is a field long dominated by men.

Both men and women blasted Dr Taylor, accusing him of not caring about women in STEM (science, technology, engineering and mathematics).