Overview

Race is not a biological reality. Racism thrives on our not knowing this. Racist pseudoscience is on the rise--fueling hatred, feeding nationalism, and seeping into our discourse on everything from sports to intelligence. Even the well-intentioned repeat stereotypes based on science, because cutting-edge genetics are hard to grasp--and all too easy to distort. Paradoxically, misconceptions are multiplying amid today's unprecedented surge of research on human genetics. We've never had a clearer picture of who we are and where we come from, and the science, when accurately understood, is a powerful and definitive ally against racism. But not nearly enough of these findings have made their way into the casual conversations we have about race. This penetrating guide shows us how being a responsible and enlightened citizen on the matter of race today requires us to know what modern genetics actually can and can't tell us about human difference. Racial categories still vexing our societies do not align with observable genetic differences--and those differences are, in fact, so minute that they serve as evidence of our commonality.

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9781665200110

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Author/narrator Adam Rutherford's delivery is calm and measured. He shares his own background and experiences, and ties in numerous current events to address the need for science to push back against those who use biology, particularly genetics, to justify racism.-- AudioFile A fascinating debunking of racial pseudoscience. -- The Guardian (London) Rutherford equips readers with the tools to discredit the prejudices of both racists and well-intentioned people. -- Scientific American Rutherford systematically deconstructs where and how [racist] biases arose...and why the science actually does not support these claims. -- Shelf Awareness Smashes race myths that plague society. -- New Scientist

Author Information

Adam Rutherford is a geneticist, science writer, and broadcaster. He studied genetics at University College London, and during his PhD on the developing eye, he was part of a team that identified the first known genetic cause of a form of childhood blindness. His books include A Brief History of Everyone Who Ever Lived-finalist for the National Book Critics Circle Award in nonfiction-and Creation, which was shortlisted for the Wellcome Book Prize. He writes and presents BBC's flagship weekly Radio 4 program Inside Science; The Cell for BBC Four; and Playing God (on the rise of synthetic biology) for the leading science series Horizon; in addition to writing for the Guardian. Adam Rutherford is a geneticist, science writer, and broadcaster. He studied genetics at University College London, and during his PhD on the developing eye, he was part of a team that identified the first known genetic cause of a form of childhood blindness. His books include A Brief History of Everyone Who Ever Lived-finalist for the National Book Critics Circle Award in nonfiction-and Creation, which was shortlisted for the Wellcome Book Prize. He writes and presents BBC's flagship weekly Radio 4 program Inside Science; The Cell for BBC Four; and Playing God (on the rise of synthetic biology) for the leading science series Horizon; in addition to writing for the Guardian.

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