Could racism be a biological phenomenon? Scientists studying a neurodevelopmental disorder called Williams syndrome are reporting that children with the disease seem not to form racial stereotypes. Children with the disorder tend to be overly friendly because they don’t fear strangers, and researchers say they also don’t form negative stereotypes about other groups. “This is the first evidence that different forms of stereotypes are biologically dissociable,” said researcher Andreas Meyer-Lindenberg.
Search
Without Prejudice
Scientists studying a neurodevelopmental disorder called Williams syndrome report that children with the disease seem not to form racial stereotypes.
Monthly Issue
April 2026
In this monthly issue, we examine how our understanding of energy — and how we source and use it — is evolving.
1 video
11 articles