Lewontin usually kept to the laboratory, studying proteins derived from ground-up fruit flies. Because DNA encodes proteins, this research addressed a fundamental question: How much do individuals of the same species vary genetically?
On the bus, Lewontin turned his attention to humans. Using available data, he computed how protein differences mapped across people around the globe. Contrary to what scientists assumed at the time, he found that most differences existed in every population—meaning the underlying genetic variation was shared across humanity, not sorted by geographic region or prevailing “racial” categories.
Lewontin published his calculations in a short paper in 1972 that ended with this definitive conclusion: “Since … racial classification is now seen to be of virtually no genetic or taxonomic significance either, no justification can be offered for its continuance.” His results have been replicated time and again over the last 50 years, as datasets have ballooned from a handful of proteins to hundreds of thousands of human genomes.
But despite huge strides in genetics research—leaving no doubt about the validity of Lewontin’s conclusions—genetics curricula taught in U.S. secondary and post-secondary schools still largely reflect a pre-1970s view.
This lag in curricula is more than a worry for those in the ivory tower. Increasingly, genomics plays a leading role in health care, criminal justice, and our sense of identity and connection to others. At the same time, scientific racism is on the rise, reaching more people than ever thanks to social media. Outdated education fails to dispel this disinformation.
From the basic genetics taught in K–12 schools to university courses, biology curricula desperately need an overhaul.
HOW DNA DIFFERS
I am a biological anthropologist who uses genomic data to answer questions about primate and human evolution. When I began my doctoral studies a decade ago, we learned about Lewontin’s paper for its historical significance, but his findings were old news.
Prior to his calculations, many scientists expected to find substantial genetic differences between people from different geographic regions or races. Say, Indigenous people in Africa would carry marker A, but all Indigenous people in the Americas would have marker C.
