Franz Joseph Gall proposed mental faculties localized to skull-shaped brain regions, sparking phrenology, now discredited but historically influential in the development of neuroscience.
Edinburgh University's skull room' highlights its complicated history with racist science
The University of Edinburgh houses hundreds of human skulls, representing a troubling history of racism, phrenology, and the objectification of bodies.
Fake skull science is back - and it's still racist
The revival of phrenology and physiognomy reflects a troubling trend where superficial judgments about appearance regain cultural relevance despite being debunked as pseudoscience.