Unveiling racial bias in science

A Post by: Ellaheh Gohari

July 24, 2023

The U.S. Census implores us to check off boxes related to our race. There are only 5 categories: white, black/African American, American or Alaskan Native, Asian, and Hawaiian/Pacific Islander, with Hispanic/Latino being an ethnicity, not a race. However, despite the implications that there are significant biological differences between races, it turns out that all humans share a common ancestor who lived a mere 200,000 years ago, a woman known as Mitochondrial Eve. For generations, her mitochondrial DNA has passed from mother-to-daughter. Now, all our mitochondrial DNA can ultimately be traced back to her.

This means that humans as a species are relatively new, with any biological difference between these perceived race categories negligible in the grand scheme of our genome. To put this into context, only 0.001% of our genome varies from person to person.

Despite this, scientific racism plagues the science community, impacting research and potentially impeding future discoveries. Historically, concepts such as Darwinism — which initially focused on evolution from single-celled to multicellular organisms — were used by imperialists to justify their colonization. Known as “Social Darwinism,” the idea was that certain races, specifically white Europeans, were biologically superior to their black African counterparts. This supposedly “allowed” the Europeans to colonize, believing that this was a natural consequence of their genetic “superiority.”

Although Social Darwinism and other forms of scientific racism have no scientific support, it continues to have an impact today. A popular and controversial 1994 book titled “The Bell Curve” alleged that intelligence and race were correlated despite only surveying non-Hispanic whites to derive these conclusions, sparking debate over whether such conclusions can be derived without evidence. Indeed, the scientific community consistently has difficulty gaining enough samples from minority groups, causing the scientific research to be biased and potentially perpetuate harmful stereotypes. This lack of representation leads to skewed data and flawed conclusions, which can reinforce existing racial biases in society.

Racial bias in medical research has led to disparities in healthcare and treatment outcomes for different groups. Historically, medical studies have been conducted predominantly on white male subjects, resulting in a lack of understanding of how certain diseases or treatments affect a diverse population. Consequently, medical interventions may not be as effective or appropriate for non-white patients, contributing to health disparities and unequal access to quality healthcare.

Pharmaceutical research has also been impacted by racism. Drug trials that exclude or underrepresent certain minority groups may not fully account for variations in drug responses across different populations. This can result in medications that are less effective or even harmful, further exacerbating health inequalities.

Recently, there has been growing awareness of the need to address these issues and rectify historical injustices in the scientific community. Efforts are being made to increase diversity in research by actively seeking out participants from underrepresented communities. These initiatives aim to correct the biases that have plagued scientific research in the past and create a more accurate understanding of human genetics, behavior, and capabilities. Although more work is needed in this regard, the scientific community is taking steps in the right direction to correct the racist mistakes of its past.