The politics of DNA and the story of eugenics with Adam Rutherford | The Royal Society
Channel: The Royal Society
Date: 2022-09-05

All science is political. Join us for the Royal Society David Attenborough Award Lecture 2021 given by Dr Adam Rutherford.

#AdamRutherford #Genetics #DNA #Eugenics #Race #Racism #Politics

Watch the previous David Attenborough lecture, delivered by Professor Alice Roberts ▶ https://youtu.be/9YLXTtH0Y1k

All science is political. Though the scientific methods have been designed over the centuries to free our understanding of reality from the baggage of perceptive and psychological biases, and the grubby world of politics, it's an ideal we strive for, but have never achieved. All new discoveries exist in the culture in which they are born, and are always susceptible to abuse. In this talk, Dr Adam Rutherford will be exploring how the abuses in his own fields of evolution and genetics - by politicians, ideologues and by scientists themselves - were central to the most heinous crimes of modern history. Adam will be arguing that scientists must know their own histories, and how Darwin's phrase 'ignorance more frequently begets confidence than does knowledge' should be a mantra for our times. 

The Royal Society David Attenborough Award and Lecture is awarded annually to an individual for outstanding public engagement with science. The award, open to everyone, recognises high quality public engagement activities. The award is named after the United Kingdom’s best-loved naturalist and broadcaster, and honorary Fellow of the Royal Society, David Attenborough. In 2021, this award was given to Dr Adam Rutherford for his contribution to strengthening public confidence in science through radio, TV, films, talks and books, and in particular, for challenging racist pseudoscience.

The Royal Society is a Fellowship of many of the world's most eminent scientists and is the oldest scientific academy in continuous existence.

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