A Conversation with Samuel Delany & Avery Brooks

Fri., July 31, 7 p.m., $5, Franklin Institute, 222 N. 20th St., 215-448-1254, fi.edu.

by Kristen Humbert

[ think tank ]

Samuel Delany wants to see the term "race" thrown out.

A black Temple professor and prolific sci-fi writer of such novels as Babel-17 and Nova, Delany doesn't believe that race has any relevant genetic basis. He and actor Avery Brooks, the only black captain on Star Trek: Deep Space Nine and currently a professor at Rutgers, will discuss whether or not that's true at the Franklin Institute, in accordance with its dual exhibits on Star Trek and race.

Delany plans to speak about how biology and genetics concern race, or what he prefers to call "the race effect," so named because race is difficult, if not impossible, to define scientifically. "A Norwegian man and a Nigerian man could be fourth cousins," says Delany. "But two Norwegians could be 26th cousins." While the Norwegian and Nigerian men would appear completely unrelated — and would be considered different races — they're actually more genetically linked, explains Delany. Current research bolsters his views: When Yale geneticist Kenneth Kidd mapped the human genome, he found that Africa, where the naked eye sees mostly one race, in fact houses the greatest amount of genetic variation on the planet.

While Delany and Avery are scheduled to talk about Star Trek, as well, it's unlikely that it'll get as much attention as race. Says Delany, "I was never a fan."

Fri., July 31, 7 p.m., $5, Franklin Institute, 222 N. 20th St., 215-448-1254, fi.edu.