We haven’t always been preoccupied with ideas of race. But from the 19th c onward, bogus science has been used to legitimise social hierarchies and political policies, with consequences that have resounded across the world. From the father of eugenics Francis Galton to surprising figures such as Marie Stopes, an astonishing array of people have mistakenly intertwined genetics with rightful identity. And it is still happening today: identity politics have created a new kind of tribalism, one that relies on eugenics for evidence. Smashing through the myths surrounding ancestry, interrogating eugenic theory and exposing the prejudices and misconceptions that have underpinned so much of our scientific theory has never been more important. In this fascinating documentary, Adam Rutherford delivers a masterclass in why our preoccupation with the genetics of race is meaningless for scientists. Drawing on remarkable historical detail and new scientific proof, he shows that the evidence for prejudices and assumptions is almost entirely incorrect, and that the differences between us are only skin deep.
Steve Wyler answers the big questions about how communities have responded to pandemics in the past and whether similar reactions can be seen in the current COVID-19 pandemic.
The F-35 is the latest plane to join the ranks of the RAF. What is so special about it is that it is a single-seat, single-engine fighter aircraft designed for many missions with advanced, integrated sensors built into every aircraft. Missions that were traditionally performed by small numbers of...
Something a little different... Total War: Three Kingdoms is the fastest selling real time strategy of all time, and based on the Wei, Shu, and Wu division of China in the 200s AD. This is an interview that talks about fact and fiction within gaming narratives and the historical research undertak...