Final answer:
In the late 1800s, scientists like Johann Friedrich Blumenbach used pseudoscientific methods such as craniometry to classify human races, an effort now recognized as scientific racism. Modern genetics and biological anthropology have debunked the concept of biological race, showing that while there are some genetic markers for physical traits, they do not support traditional racial categories.
Step-by-step explanation:
In the late 1800s, scientists like Johann Friedrich Blumenbach used craniometry, a pseudoscientific method, to classify and compare human races. This approach, which involved measuring human head shapes and brain sizes, led to the incorrect belief in the existence of distinct racial categories. It is now understood as a form of scientific racism, and the concept of race as a biological category has been debunked by modern genetics. Biological anthropology has proven that while there are genetic markers for physical features such as skin color, these do not align strictly with the conventional racial groups previously defined.
Furthermore, all humans have virtually identical intellectual and moral capacities, regardless of skull dimensions or shapes. Eugenics further tried to validate racial differences, promoting the idea that lighter-skinned races were more evolved. This was done through biased measurements, like the size of brains, to substantiate white supremacy. However, the integrity of eugenics was questioned early on, as many in the academic community recognized the pseudoscientific and prejudiced nature of this research.