Join us for a thought-provoking evening with author Dr. Shoumita Dasgupta celebrating her groundbreaking new book, Where Biology Ends and Bias Begins, part of the yearlong Being Human spotlight at the Museum of Science.
In conversation with award-winning science journalist and author Angela Saini, this evening of dialogue will explore the science behind race, ethnicity, sex and gender, and disability —unpacking how these aspects of identity have been misunderstood, misused, and often weaponized in medicine, policy, public discourse, and emerging technologies today.
Drawing on years of classroom conversations and scientific research, Dr. Dasgupta offers a clear, accessible, and interdisciplinary look at the biological facts—and persistent fictions—that shape our understanding of human difference.
Written for readers from high school to the professional world, Where Biology Ends and Bias Begins is a must-read for anyone interested in the intersection of science, equity, and social justice. Come ready to learn, reflect, and explore how we can all contribute to a more inclusive and informed future.
Followed by book signing of Where Biology Ends and Bias Begins with Dr. Shoumita Dasgupta.
FEATURING-
Dr. Shoumita Dasgupta is a scientist educator whose significant scholarly contributions center around curriculum design, teaching, and service. She is a Professor of Medicine and an Assistant Dean of Diversity & Inclusion with a demonstrated history of working in a diverse and inclusive higher education environment. Dr. Dasgupta has leveraged her expertise in basic and medical genetics and genomics, graduate education, and medical education to transform and advance the clinical and scientific training of MD and PhD students at Boston University, nationally, and internationally. Her passion for genetics, genomic medicine, diversity and inclusion, and mentoring allow her to serve as a supportive and creative leader in the field.
Angela Saini is an award-winning journalist and author. She presents radio, podcasts, and television programmes, and her writing has appeared across the world, including in The Financial Times, National Geographic, Foreign Policy, and Wired. She teaches science writing at the Massachusetts Institute of technology, and was made an honorary fellow of Keble College, Oxford in 2023.
Angela’s latest book, The Patriarchs, was published in March 2023 and named a finalist for the Orwell Prize for Nonfiction and a Waterstones politics book of the year. Her 2019 book Superior: The Return of Race Science was published to enormous critical acclaim, and became a finalist for the LA Times Book Prize, the Hughes Prize, and the Foyles Book of the Year. Inferior: How Science Got Women Wrong was published in 2017 and named the Physics World book of the Year. Her work has been translated into eighteen languages.
In 2020 Angela was named one of the world’s top 50 thinkers by Prospect magazine, and in 2018 she was voted one of the most respected journalists in the UK. In 2015 she won the American Association for the Advancement of Science’s Kavli Science Journalism gold award for a BBC Radio 4 documentary about birdsong and human language. She has also received a best feature award from the Association of British Science Writers.