Superior audiobook cover - The Return of Race Science

Superior

The Return of Race Science

Angela Saini

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Categories:
ScienceSociety & Culture

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Superior
The Myth of Biological Race+
History of Race Science+
Genetics & Human Diversity+
Modern Disguises of Race Science+
Debunking IQ and Health Myths+
Identity, Nationalism & Danger+

Quiz — Test Your Understanding

Question 1 of 8
What is a key difference between the 'out of Africa' hypothesis and the 'multiregional hypothesis' as discussed in the text?
  • A. The multiregional hypothesis suggests humans evolved independently in different parts of the world, a theory that can easily play into beliefs of racial superiority.
  • B. The out of Africa hypothesis asserts that Homo sapiens interbred with Neanderthals, while the multiregional hypothesis denies this.
  • C. The multiregional hypothesis is universally accepted by modern geneticists, whereas the out of Africa hypothesis is considered an outdated Enlightenment theory.
  • D. The out of Africa hypothesis was originally developed during the Enlightenment to justify European colonization and subjugation.
Question 2 of 8
How did nineteenth-century American doctor Samuel Cartwright use pseudoscience to justify the continued enslavement of black people?
  • A. He claimed to have found genetic proof that black people possessed a lower pain tolerance.
  • B. He invented a 'disease' called drapetomania, which supposedly caused enslaved people to want to run away.
  • C. He used Carl Linnaeus's botanical classification system to prove that human races were entirely separate species.
  • D. He published a study in the Mankind Quarterly arguing that eugenics was a natural biological process.
Question 3 of 8
What was the major finding of geneticist Richard Lewontin's landmark 1972 paper regarding human genetics?
  • A. Human DNA contains distinct genetic markers that perfectly align with historical racial categories.
  • B. Environmental adaptations have caused human DNA to diverge significantly into separate biological races over the last 100,000 years.
  • C. There is actually more genetic diversity within specific human groups than there is between different groups.
  • D. Approximately 85 percent of human genetic diversity was lost due to the founder effect during early migrations.
Question 4 of 8
Why do modern proponents of race science, such as those associated with the Mankind Quarterly, often refer to themselves as 'race realists'?
  • A. To distance themselves from the term 'eugenics' while advocating for the genetic modification of human embryos.
  • B. To align their research with the liberal, antiracist goals of the Human Genome Diversity Project.
  • C. To argue that racial categories are purely cultural and have no biological basis.
  • D. To make their politically motivated, racist arguments appear as objective, unbiased scientific truths.
Question 5 of 8
How did the vocabulary of race science evolve in projects like the Human Genome Diversity Project and among conservative intellectuals?
  • A. Terms like 'race' and 'racial difference' were replaced with words like 'population,' 'human variation,' and 'biodiversity.'
  • B. Scientists abandoned biological terms altogether, exclusively using sociological terms like 'class' and 'cultural background.'
  • C. The term 'genetic determinism' was replaced with 'environmental adaptation' to hide racist policies.
  • D. Researchers revived Enlightenment-era terminology to lend historical credibility to their modern genetic studies.
Question 6 of 8
What did the 2018 genetic analysis of the 'Cheddar Man' skeleton reveal that shocked the English public?
  • A. He belonged to a species of hominid previously thought to be extinct in Europe.
  • B. His bones carried genetic signatures indicating he had dark skin pigmentation.
  • C. He shared no genetic lineage with modern European populations.
  • D. His DNA proved that the out of Africa hypothesis was historically inaccurate.
Question 7 of 8
According to recent scientific studies highlighted in the text, what is the most significant factor determining differences in IQ scores among populations?
  • A. The evolutionary development of cognitive differences based on ancient environments.
  • B. The genetic heritability of intelligence, which accounts for 70 percent of a person's IQ.
  • C. Environmental and socioeconomic factors, such as family affluence and social advantages.
  • D. The geographical isolation of certain populations, leading to the founder effect in brain development.
Question 8 of 8
Why is it inaccurate to describe hypertension as a biologically 'black disease,' despite it being twice as common among black Americans?
  • A. Hypertension is entirely caused by a single genetic mutation that is evenly distributed across all human populations.
  • B. People living in Africa actually have the lowest rates of hypertension in the world, pointing to environmental and social causes in the US.
  • C. The medical data used to establish this statistic was published in the Mankind Quarterly and has been widely debunked.
  • D. Gregor Mendel's foundational genetic research proved that hypertension is linked to the founder effect, not race.

Superior — Full Chapter Overview

Superior Summary & Overview

Superior (2019) tracks the history of race science, from its origins in the Enlightenment to its hidden – but growing – presence in the twenty-first century. The uncomfortable truth is that science is not always apolitical, and the theory of biological race lives on in subtle ways, despite the mounting evidence against it. Groups of people might look, sound, and do things differently – but genetically, we’re very much the same. 

Who Should Listen to Superior?

  • Students of human biology, genetics, and anthropology
  • Anyone searching for the truth about the science of race
  • People of color and those considered minorities

About the Author: Angela Saini

Angela Saini is an award-winning British journalist and BBC radio presenter. In 2009 she was named the European Young Science Writer of the Year by the Association of British Science Writers, and in 2015 she won the American Association for the Advancement of Science Gold Award. She has written two other critically acclaimed books – Geek Nation: How Indian Science is Taking Over the World and Inferior: How Science Got Women Wrong, the latter of which was named the Physics World Book of the Year in 2017. 

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