Subhadra Das: What part has science played in racism?

<p>Not so long ago, English scientists believed that they could study differences between people and that certain ethnicities were ‘better’ or ‘worse’ than others – of course, white Europeans were put at the top of any list.</p><p>In the 19th Century, anthropologist and statistician Francis Galton took this even further when he coined the term ‘<a href="https://www.sciencefocus.com/science/eugenics-adam-pearson-on-the-lasting-effect-of-this-dangerous-idea/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">eugenics</a>’, the idea that science could better the human race by promoting the spread of certain genes, deemed ‘good’, and by halting the distribution of those deemed bad.</p><p>While these Victorian ideas have since been refuted and discarded by the scientific community, there are those in society that turn to <a href="https://www.sciencefocus.com/science/race-science-angela-saini-on-the-creeping-resurgence-of-racism-in-science/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">race science</a> in an attempt to justify their bigotry and racism.</p><p><a href="http://www.lifestudy.ac.uk/museums/about/our-staff/das" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Subhadra Das</a> has spent the last eight years as a museum curator for the science collections at University College London, specialising in the history of scientific racism and the history of eugenics.</p><p>She tells us how Francis Galton’s idea spread through Victorian society, and why it’s important to understand science’s racist history in order for us to move forward.</p><p>Let us know what you think of the episode with a review or a comment wherever you listen to your podcasts.</p><ul><li><strong>Subscribe</strong>&nbsp;to the&nbsp;<em>Science Focus Podcast</em>&nbsp;on these services:&nbsp;<a href="https://www.acast.com/science-focus-podcast" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Acast</a>,&nbsp;<a href="https://itunes.apple.com/gb/podcast/science-focus-podcast/id1296673906?mt=2" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">iTunes</a>,&nbsp;<a href="https://www