The Chemistry of Race

There have been many attempts to put the concept of "race" in connection with the human species on a scientific level. Many have been spurious, but some have been based on acknowledged scientific principles. All have been motivated by a desire to categorize and control people, as in the attempts to produce scientifically based ID cards by the previously apartheid regime in South Africa. Some have added to the store of human understanding in unexpected and surprising ways. The presentation will take a look at the attempts based on the genetic code. It will be relatively "lite" on science, but more detailed questions can be entertained from interested students.