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Where Biology Ends and Bias Begins: Lessons on Belonging from Our DNA
A geneticist and internationally recognized anti-racism educator provides a powerful, science-based rebuttal to common fallacies about human difference.
Well-meaning physicians, parents, and even scientists today often spread misinformation about what biology can and can’t tell us about our bodies, minds, and identities. In this accessible, myth-busting book, geneticist Shoumita Dasgupta draws on the latest science to correct common misconceptions about how much of our social identities are actually based in genetics.
Dasgupta weaves together history, current affairs, and cutting-edge science to break down how genetic concepts are misused and how we can approach scientific evidence in a socially responsible way. With a unifying and intersectional approach disentangling biology from bigotry, the book moves beyond race and gender to incorporate categories like sexual orientation, disability, and class. Where Biology Ends and Bias Begins is an invaluable, empowering resource for biologists, geneticists, science educators, and anyone working against bias in their community.
Well-meaning physicians, parents, and even scientists today often spread misinformation about what biology can and can’t tell us about our bodies, minds, and identities. In this accessible, myth-busting book, geneticist Shoumita Dasgupta draws on the latest science to correct common misconceptions about how much of our social identities are actually based in genetics.
Dasgupta weaves together history, current affairs, and cutting-edge science to break down how genetic concepts are misused and how we can approach scientific evidence in a socially responsible way. With a unifying and intersectional approach disentangling biology from bigotry, the book moves beyond race and gender to incorporate categories like sexual orientation, disability, and class. Where Biology Ends and Bias Begins is an invaluable, empowering resource for biologists, geneticists, science educators, and anyone working against bias in their community.
- GenresScience
285 pages, Paperback
Published February 18, 2025
14 people are currently reading
153 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 9 of 9 reviews
December 25, 2025
Dr Dasgupta unpacked complex genetic concepts and made them digestible for me, a reader without any expertise in biology. I found her writing to be incredibly thought provoking. Her commentary has left me thinking about cases and events and biology I’ve read in the book long after I put it down! The antiracist dialogue in this book is utterly necessary. I truly appreciate the harmony in which Dr Dasgupta explains the ties between social inequality and bias with biology and scientists. I never knew how deep these connections went and the impact of misinformation in science on society. I learned so much from this book, and it was delight to read. Reading the writing of such a well researched, thoughtful, and experienced scientist has made me a person who is better informed on racism. It has helped me understand the biases and circumstances I live around everyday and what I can do to counteract the impact of biases. I truly think everyone will benefit from reading it.
April 12, 2025
Highly Recommend – social awareness; genetics
I have been interested in how bias impacts individuals, groups, communities, and politics for several years. I am also interested in how biology helps make us who we are as individuals and how that manifests as who we are to those around us. So, when I saw the title of this book, it beckoned to bring two interests of mine together.
Dasgupta relates her personal experiences with bias, discusses system 1 and system 2 thinking, highlights media’s role in the internalization of bias, and weaves the tapestry of how DNA expanded across the world.
She outlines the ideology of genetic essentialism and eugenics and how those concepts lead to misconceptions about the extent of our differences as humans and exacerbate biased behavior. She debunks common marketing myths about what genetics can tell us about our health risk factors, our ancestry, and our individuality.
The impacts of unrecognized bias on medical research, healthcare, in-vitro fertilization (IVF), the justice system, and individual privacy are broad. And while they directly impact the people against which the bias is directed, ultimately it impacts our entire society through reinforced hierarchies, narrowed solution sets to difficult issues, and less than effective or harmful policies.
This book includes perspectives on sociology, ethics, history, and politics laid over a backdrop of the science of genetics. It includes an in-depth glossary of terms, multiple tables and figures, a robust reference section, and maybe most importantly, a call to action. Shoumita states, “Learning is best accomplished when we can bring our whole selves to our shared learning spaces and goals.”
I have been interested in how bias impacts individuals, groups, communities, and politics for several years. I am also interested in how biology helps make us who we are as individuals and how that manifests as who we are to those around us. So, when I saw the title of this book, it beckoned to bring two interests of mine together.
Dasgupta relates her personal experiences with bias, discusses system 1 and system 2 thinking, highlights media’s role in the internalization of bias, and weaves the tapestry of how DNA expanded across the world.
She outlines the ideology of genetic essentialism and eugenics and how those concepts lead to misconceptions about the extent of our differences as humans and exacerbate biased behavior. She debunks common marketing myths about what genetics can tell us about our health risk factors, our ancestry, and our individuality.
The impacts of unrecognized bias on medical research, healthcare, in-vitro fertilization (IVF), the justice system, and individual privacy are broad. And while they directly impact the people against which the bias is directed, ultimately it impacts our entire society through reinforced hierarchies, narrowed solution sets to difficult issues, and less than effective or harmful policies.
This book includes perspectives on sociology, ethics, history, and politics laid over a backdrop of the science of genetics. It includes an in-depth glossary of terms, multiple tables and figures, a robust reference section, and maybe most importantly, a call to action. Shoumita states, “Learning is best accomplished when we can bring our whole selves to our shared learning spaces and goals.”
March 26, 2025
4.25 🌟
June 8, 2025
Book Review: Where Biology Ends and Bias Begins: Lessons on Belonging from Our DNA by Shoumita Dasgupta - A Public Health Practitioner’s Perspective
Shoumita Dasgupta’s Where Biology Ends and Bias Begins is a revelatory exploration of the intersection between genetics, identity, and systemic bias that left me both intellectually electrified and professionally unsettled. As a public health practitioner, I found myself oscillating between awe at Dasgupta’s dismantling of biological determinism and discomfort at how deeply bias permeates even our most “objective” health frameworks—from racialized clinical algorithms to genetic research priorities.
Emotional Resonance: Between Epiphany and Reckoning
Reading this book felt like watching a microscope focus on the fractures in public health’s foundational assumptions. Dasgupta’s dissection of how genetic ancestry tests reinforce social constructs of race triggered visceral memories of well-intentioned health disparities research that inadvertently pathologized marginalized communities. Her analysis of prenatal screening biases—where certain genetic conditions are disproportionately targeted for elimination—stirred a moral unease that lingered long after I put the book down. Yet her celebration of genomic diversity as a collective strength rather than a flaw also sparked hope: What if public health treated DNA not as destiny, but as dialogue?
Key Public Health Insights
-The Myth of Genetic Neutrality: Dasgupta exposes how bias shapes which genomes get studied (and which get labeled “abnormal”), challenging public health to audit its own complicity in these narratives.
-Race as a Biological Fiction: The book’s rigorous takedown of race-based medicine demands we confront how often we’ve mistaken societal hierarchies for biological truths in risk calculators and treatment guidelines.
-Belonging as a Social Vaccine: By reframing genetic diversity as a communal asset rather than individual risk, Dasgupta offers a blueprint for health campaigns that celebrate difference rather than weaponize it.
Constructive Criticism
-From Critique to Clinic: While Dasgupta excels at deconstructing bias, public health practitioners might crave more concrete tools to implement her insights (e.g., templates for bias audits of genetic counseling protocols).
-Global Health Equity: The U.S.-centric focus misses opportunities to explore how genetic bias operates in Global South contexts—a critical gap given genomic research’s colonial legacies.
Final Thoughts
This book is a mirror and a manifesto. It left me convinced that until public health reckons with how bias distorts even our molecules, we’ll keep building equity initiatives on shaky scientific foundations. Dasgupta doesn’t just diagnose the problem—she lights a path toward a genetics of belonging.
Rating: ★★★★☆ (4.5/5) – A transformative, if occasionally theoretical, intervention.
Gratitude: Thank you to the publisher and Edelweiss for the review copy. In a field increasingly reliant on genetic technologies, this book is the ethical compass we’ve been missing.
Shoumita Dasgupta’s Where Biology Ends and Bias Begins is a revelatory exploration of the intersection between genetics, identity, and systemic bias that left me both intellectually electrified and professionally unsettled. As a public health practitioner, I found myself oscillating between awe at Dasgupta’s dismantling of biological determinism and discomfort at how deeply bias permeates even our most “objective” health frameworks—from racialized clinical algorithms to genetic research priorities.
Emotional Resonance: Between Epiphany and Reckoning
Reading this book felt like watching a microscope focus on the fractures in public health’s foundational assumptions. Dasgupta’s dissection of how genetic ancestry tests reinforce social constructs of race triggered visceral memories of well-intentioned health disparities research that inadvertently pathologized marginalized communities. Her analysis of prenatal screening biases—where certain genetic conditions are disproportionately targeted for elimination—stirred a moral unease that lingered long after I put the book down. Yet her celebration of genomic diversity as a collective strength rather than a flaw also sparked hope: What if public health treated DNA not as destiny, but as dialogue?
Key Public Health Insights
-The Myth of Genetic Neutrality: Dasgupta exposes how bias shapes which genomes get studied (and which get labeled “abnormal”), challenging public health to audit its own complicity in these narratives.
-Race as a Biological Fiction: The book’s rigorous takedown of race-based medicine demands we confront how often we’ve mistaken societal hierarchies for biological truths in risk calculators and treatment guidelines.
-Belonging as a Social Vaccine: By reframing genetic diversity as a communal asset rather than individual risk, Dasgupta offers a blueprint for health campaigns that celebrate difference rather than weaponize it.
Constructive Criticism
-From Critique to Clinic: While Dasgupta excels at deconstructing bias, public health practitioners might crave more concrete tools to implement her insights (e.g., templates for bias audits of genetic counseling protocols).
-Global Health Equity: The U.S.-centric focus misses opportunities to explore how genetic bias operates in Global South contexts—a critical gap given genomic research’s colonial legacies.
Final Thoughts
This book is a mirror and a manifesto. It left me convinced that until public health reckons with how bias distorts even our molecules, we’ll keep building equity initiatives on shaky scientific foundations. Dasgupta doesn’t just diagnose the problem—she lights a path toward a genetics of belonging.
Rating: ★★★★☆ (4.5/5) – A transformative, if occasionally theoretical, intervention.
Gratitude: Thank you to the publisher and Edelweiss for the review copy. In a field increasingly reliant on genetic technologies, this book is the ethical compass we’ve been missing.
April 15, 2025
I loved this book. At this time in our Nation, books that highlight and explain true science are crucial. This one does just that. It describes in plain English how the misapplication or misunderstanding of science can lead to outcomes which are bad for individuals and for society at large. It clearly shows the path to both individual behaviors and social policies that benefit us all, through the simple application of legitimate science. A must-read.
August 23, 2025
This book could strike up some interesting conversations. Opens your eyes to the complexities of life and the challenges faced by so many. I found some parts difficult to digest, mainly because of the intersections of science, religion, and personal beliefs. When there is conflict between them, it becomes overwhelming and disheartened.
December 19, 2025
This was a great exploration of the science that supports inclusivity. Each chapter explores a different topic, focusing on a bias that people tend to have an unpacks the genetics of why we are not as different as we think we are. The book is engaging and approachable and also has this wonderful chapter at the end on how to use the book as a lesson guide. Highly recommend!
September 23, 2025
a lot of this info wasn’t new to me personally having taken many genetics ethics courses but a very good intro to social determinants of biology, bias, and institutional harm in medicine
Displaying 1 - 9 of 9 reviews