Did it matter that Einstein was of northern European descent?

By James Dacey

This thought-provoking image forms part of the advertising campaign for a new UK television series that will look at the controversial history of science and scientists addressing the issue of race.

Race: science’s last taboo has been created by Channel 4 and will be focused around five documentaries, each one engaging in a different aspect of the debate.

The season kicks-off tonight with a programme about race and intelligence, which includes the controversy surrounding James Watson’s cancelled UK lecture tour of 2007.

In case you missed it at the time, the Nobel Laureate — who co-discovered the double-helical structure of DNA — was quoted as saying that there is scientific evidence to suggest that black people are less intelligent than people of other races. People were so incensed that Watson was forced to abandon his tour and leave the UK early.

For more details about the new series, check out the related website. Amongst other features, you can offer your own definition of race — though bear in mind you’ve only got 140 characters!