Adam Rutherford: Can science ever be rid of racism?

<p>Adam Rutherford is a geneticist at the University College London, which has one of the most prestigious population, genetics and evolution departments in the world.</p><p>However, the university was also the home of ideas such as eugenics and race science.</p><p>Times have changed, and although our current understanding of genetics and biology should have consigned them to history, these insidious ideas are making their way back into the mainstream.</p><p>In his new book, <a href="https://www.weidenfeldandnicolson.co.uk/titles/adam-rutherford/how-to-argue-with-a-racist/9781474611268/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank"><em>How to Argue with a Racist</em></a> (£12.99, Weidenfeld &amp; Nicolson), Adam wants to show his readers that what we understand as race doesn’t really hold up with the genomic data, why professional sport is not a particularly good data set for studying race, and whether we can ever truly remove racism from science.</p><p>He speaks to our editorial assistant Amy Barrett.</p><ul><li><strong>Subscribe</strong>&nbsp;to the&nbsp;<em>Science Focus Podcast</em>&nbsp;on these services:&nbsp;<a href="https://www.acast.com/science-focus-podcast" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Acast</a>,&nbsp;<a href="https://itunes.apple.com/gb/podcast/science-focus-podcast/id1296673906?mt=2" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">iTunes</a>,&nbsp;<a href="https://www.stitcher.com/podcast/immediate-media-2/science-focus-podcast" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Stitcher</a>,&nbsp;<a href="https://rss.acast.com/science-focus-podcast" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">RSS</a>,&nbsp;<a href="https://overcast.fm/itunes1296673906/science-focus-podcast" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Overcast</a></li></ul><p>Let us know what you think of the episode with a review or a comment wherever you listen to your podcasts.</p><p><strong>Listen to more episodes of the&nbsp;<em>Science Focus Podcast</em>:</strong></p><ul><li><a href="https://www.sciencefocus.com/the-human-body/marcel-da