Genetics Unzipped is the podcast from the Genetics Society - one of the oldest learned societies dedicated to promoting research, training, teaching and public engagement in all areas of genetics. Find out more and apply to join at genetics.org.uk

Living with the Eugenic Past: Turi King

Living with the Eugenic Past: Turi King

Hello, I’m Dr Kat Arney. This podcast is part of a miniseries of interviews with speakers from the 2022 annual conference of the Adelphi Genetics Forum - a learned society that aims to promote research and discussion concerning the scientific understanding of human heredity. Formerly known as the Galton Institute, and before that, the Eugenics Education Society, the society has changed its name to the Adelphi Genetics Forum to firmly reject and distance itself from the discredited and damaging ideas of its namesake, Francis Galton – widely viewed as the founder of eugenics. 

This year’s conference, titled ‘Living with the Eugenic Past’, brought together expert speakers to grapple with the problem of how best to live with the eugenic past. What are the demands of justice when it comes to the victims of eugenics? How should universities and other institutions involved in eugenics deal responsibly with that involvement? And can present-day biology education and research be improved to help safeguard the future from the mistakes of the past?

In this first episode, I spoke to Turi King, the President of the Adelphi Genetics Forum and Professor of Public Engagement and Genetics in the Department of Genetics and Genome Biology at the University of Leicester, to discover the story of the society and why it was finally time to change its name.

Thanks to Turi King. And do listen out for our interview with Elaine Riddick, a formidable survivor and campaigner, coming up later in this series.

You can find out more about the Adelphi Genetics Forum, including their grants, awards and publications, at adelphigenetics.org You can check out the rest of this series on the Genetics Unzipped podcast feed – just search for Genetics Unzipped on Spotify or wherever you get your podcasts. This series was produced by the team at First Create The Media – that’s Kat Arney, Sally Le Page and Emma Werner, with help from Ed Prosser and Frankie Pike. Our music is Drops of H2O by J. Lang, licensed under Creative Commons. Thanks for listening, and goodbye.

Living with the Eugenic Past: Elaine Riddick

Living with the Eugenic Past: Elaine Riddick

S5.23: Birds and bees… and sardines: the genetics of animal behaviour

S5.23: Birds and bees… and sardines: the genetics of animal behaviour

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