About

The dawn of evolutionary theory in the mid-1800s sparked an interest in the selective breeding of humans. Prominent scientists like Charles Darwin, Ronald Fischer, and Francis Galton wondered: “If animals could be bred for certain traits, could not humans?”. This initiated a popular Eugenics movement bolstered by the prevailing ethnocentric and racist perspectives of the colonial era. Some formidable intellectual heroes of the 19th and 20th centuries were fooled by this nebulous combination of racism packaged in incomplete science. Completion of the human genome project at the start of the 21st century informed us that the boundaries between races were blurry and that all humans could trace shared ancestry back to Africa. Though Eugenics is largely debunked today important questions still remain. For example, is there a genetic link to traits like intellect and lifespan? And is it fair to categorize people based on something as arbitrary as skin color? What even is the genetic basis for skin color? Finally, will our ability to engineer our own genome pave the way for a new era of eugenics? One where the highest bidder can select for the best traits in his/her children? Come along for a sincere attempt to learn about these rather controversial topics.