SCIENCE HISTORY: DOES RENAMING A BUILDING REWRITE ITS PAST?
BBC Focus - Science & Technology|Summer 2020
What message does naming a building after a scientist associated with eugenics send? And does rechristening that building simply hide the complicated truth?
Subhadra Das
SCIENCE HISTORY: DOES RENAMING A BUILDING REWRITE ITS PAST?

Back in June, University College London (UCL) announced that it would be denaming the Galton Lecture Theatre as “one step in a range of actions aimed at acknowledging and addressing the university’s historical links with the eugenics

movement.” Sir Francis Galton, whom the lecture theatre was named after, was a Victorian scientist who founded the British study of eugenics. But does removing Galton’s name minimize, or even hide, his role in shaping our society today? We posed this question to Subhadra Das, a science historian and curator at UCL, who has spent the last eight years looking after the items in the university’s Galton collection.

HOW DO YOU FEEL ABOUT THE RENAMING OF THE GALTON LECTURE THEATRE?

I’m very pleased because it’s something that people have wanted to happen for a long time and it’s definitely the right thing to do. But I hope that my community at the university also realises that this is really just the beginning. That we’ve so much work to do when it comes to these ideas and these ways of thinking.

WHO WAS GALTON?

Sir Francis Galton is probably the most famous Victorian scientist not a lot of people have heard of. I had never heard of him until I started curating the collection. Galton was many things; he was an explorer in Africa, he was a meteorologist, a statistician, a biologist.

He’s also the man who came up with the word ‘eugenics’. He coined the term. I think a lot of people, if they hear the word eugenics, probably think about the Nazis and the horrors of the Holocaust. But actually, the story is a lot older and it’s a lot more British than that.

この記事は BBC Focus - Science & Technology の Summer 2020 版に掲載されています。

7 日間の Magzter GOLD 無料トライアルを開始して、何千もの厳選されたプレミアム ストーリー、9,000 以上の雑誌や新聞にアクセスしてください。

この記事は BBC Focus - Science & Technology の Summer 2020 版に掲載されています。

7 日間の Magzter GOLD 無料トライアルを開始して、何千もの厳選されたプレミアム ストーリー、9,000 以上の雑誌や新聞にアクセスしてください。

BBC FOCUS - SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGYのその他の記事すべて表示
COULD MARINE CLOUD BRIGHTENING HELP US FIGHT CLIMATE CHANGE?
BBC Science Focus

COULD MARINE CLOUD BRIGHTENING HELP US FIGHT CLIMATE CHANGE?

The theory behind marine cloud brightening is that brighter or whiter clouds reflect more sunlight back into space.

time-read
1 min  |
November 2024
IS IT SAFE TO RUN EVERY DAY, OR SHOULD I DITCH MY RUN STREAK TO SAVE MY KNEES?
BBC Science Focus

IS IT SAFE TO RUN EVERY DAY, OR SHOULD I DITCH MY RUN STREAK TO SAVE MY KNEES?

A running streak, where you run every day without taking rest days, can be highly motivating and beneficial for overall fitness. Running is great cardiovascular exercise and isn't to be discouraged (and finding a routine with some consistency is great). Getting a bit of exercise as often as possible is also hugely beneficial for your mental health.

time-read
1 min  |
November 2024
WHAT MAKES THE MEDITERRANEAN DIET SO GOOD FOR US?
BBC Science Focus

WHAT MAKES THE MEDITERRANEAN DIET SO GOOD FOR US?

The Mediterranean diet may help you live longer, especially if you also adopt the lifestyle of people living near the Med during the 1950s.

time-read
2 分  |
November 2024
WHAT IS MEXICO'S BLUE HOLE?
BBC Science Focus

WHAT IS MEXICO'S BLUE HOLE?

The world's deepest blue hole (marine sinkhole) lies off the coast of Mexico's Yucatán Peninsula. It's at least 420m (1,378ft) deep, but explorers still haven't found its bottom.

time-read
1 min  |
November 2024
HOW CAN I TELL IF I'VE GOT HIGH CORTISOL LEVELS?
BBC Science Focus

HOW CAN I TELL IF I'VE GOT HIGH CORTISOL LEVELS?

Cortisol is a hormone produced by glands in our bodies called the adrenal glands, which sit above the kidneys. It plays a critical role in various bodily functions, including regulating metabolism, reducing inflammation and helping the body respond to stress. While essential for our health, chronic elevation of cortisol levels can lead to several issues.

time-read
2 分  |
November 2024
THE LUNGFISH
BBC Science Focus

THE LUNGFISH

In 1836, European scientists discovered a peculiar animal from the River Amazon that they struggled to identify. Its eel-like body was a few feet long and its air-filled lungs persuaded anatomists it must be a reptile.

time-read
2 分  |
November 2024
ARE WE THE ONLY SPECIES TO HAVE BEEN THROUGH A STONE AGE?
BBC Science Focus

ARE WE THE ONLY SPECIES TO HAVE BEEN THROUGH A STONE AGE?

The Stone Age might conjure up images of early humans, sitting around a campfire or hunting prehistoric beasts, but evidence shows that we're not the only species that has learned how to work with stone tools. Wild chimpanzees (Pan troglodytes) use stone tools to crack open nuts.

time-read
2 分  |
November 2024
Should we scrap daylight saving time?
BBC Science Focus

Should we scrap daylight saving time?

Most of us look forward to the extra hour we get in bed every October, but researchers argue that changing the clocks twice a year harms our health

time-read
5 分  |
November 2024
THE INTERNET OF ANIMALS
BBC Science Focus

THE INTERNET OF ANIMALS

SCIENTISTS ARE USING ELECTRONIC TAGS AND SATELLITES TO TRACK WILD ANIMALS AND CREATE A DATA NETWORK THAT COULD HELP US ADDRESS THE BIODIVERSITY CRISIS

time-read
8 分  |
November 2024
MUSIC FOR A DISTRACTED GENERATION
BBC Science Focus

MUSIC FOR A DISTRACTED GENERATION

The number of things competing for our attention is often overwhelming. Can dreamy soundscapes created with neuroscience help our bewildered brains to concentrate?

time-read
10 分  |
November 2024