Racism
Your Medical History Might Someday Include ‘Climate Change’
Last summer, a doctor wrote “climate change” in his patient’s chart. But is medicine really ready to address systemic health impacts?
Weighing Big Tech’s Promise to Black America
Last year, Netflix made a pledge that represents the tech industry’s best shot at redressing the nation’s racial inequality. How seriously should we take it?
Richard Lewontin's Legacy of Fighting Racism in Science
The late evolutionary biologist made a reputation—and enemies—by speaking out against the idea that genes are destiny. Science still needs people like him.
Black Scientists Find Community—and Plan for the Road Ahead
The Black in X network mobilized last summer to bring attention to racism in STEM. This week, they’re holding their first conference to talk about what’s next.
Oximeters Used to Be Designed for Equity. What Happened?
The pandemic drew attention to the racial bias built into pulse oxes. But calls to create a fairer device are missing one thing: It once existed.
White Nationalism Is Far Worse Than a 'Disease'
Most analogies for racism as a pathology oversimplify its blight. Better diagnosing it means knowing how to treat it.
What You Lose When You Turn Into an Animal
In Pixar’s new film, Soul, the protagonist wakes up in the body of a cat. It’s a common enough trope—but it gets messier the more you think about it.
Listening to Black Women: The Innovation Tech Can't Crack
Tech creators and journalists ignore the insights and experiences of Black women—and fail to see the harm of their "innovations."
Science Journals Are Purging Racist, Sexist Work. Finally
Getting rid of harmful papers is a vital step toward reestablishing readers' trust. Next, publishers should target articles that are flawed in other ways.
What French Feminism Can Teach Us About Karens
The latest viral female archetype is complicated. Dramatizing her entitlement, she's at once familiar to the philosophers and a new phenomenon entirely.
BLM Supporters More Likely to Combat Hate in Videogames, Too
But our new survey found that just 20 percent of gamers say they stand up to harassment when they see it.
The Centuries-Long History of Racism in Surveillance Tech
This week's podcast traces how innovators' biases helped design slave ships, the panopticon, and facial recognition.
Tech Firms Hire 'Red Teams.' Scientists Should, Too
Another botched peer review—this one involving a controversial study of police killings—shows how devil's advocates could improve the scientific process.
You Purged Racists From Your Website? Great, Now Get to Work
The Covid-19 infodemic taught social media giants like YouTube and Reddit an important lesson: They can—and must—take action to control the content on their sites.
How Surveillance Has Always Reinforced Racism
Sociologist and author Simone Browne connects the dots between modern marketing and the branding of slaves.
Across the Globe, Scientists Are Striking for Black Lives
On June 10, thousands of academics are stopping research activities to educate themselves about disparities and take action against systemic racism in science.
Police Shootings May Be Causing Black Infants Long-Term Harm
By looking at data on millions of births, a researcher shows how violence against unarmed African American men might cause acute stress on pregnancies.
The Hollow Poetry of the Eric Garner Decision
The force of Drew Angerer's photo is in what it names: It tells us what the US Department of Justice did about Eric Garner's death.
Ancestry.com’s Racist Ad Tumbles Into a Cultural Minefield
A slavery-themed ad for Ancestry.com exposes the awkward relationship between America's darkest history and the current boom in family-tree building.
The Good and Bad of Ride-Sharing When It Comes to Race
Research conducted in LA shows that Lyft reaches almost every neighborhood, regardless of race or income, but black riders still wait longer to be picked up.
Social Inequality Will Not Be Solved By an App
We need more intense attention on how artificial intelligence forestalls the ability to see what kinds of choices we are making.
When Music You Wrote Becomes a Hate Speech Soundtrack
Royalty-free composers don’t have any control over what happens to their work—even if it ends up scoring a racist diatribe.
To Fix Its Toxic Ad Problem, Facebook Must Break Itself
Facebook stress-tests its tech. It could do the same for its moral compass.