LAUSR

‘85% of human genetic variation resides within populations’—Richard Lewontin’s result and sound bite, tracing to his 1972 article ‘The apportionment of human diversity’ [1], have become indispensable to descriptions of worldwide human genetic variation. In addition to providing a technical advance for the field of human population genetics, the article provides a shorthand for the understanding of human genetic unity and an important response to the misappropriation of descriptions of human biological variation in support of racism. This special issue brings together a collection of papers in recognition of the 50th anniversary of Lewontin’s 1972 paper. With Lewontin’s passing on 4 July 2021 at the age of 92 while this special issue was being assembled, the importance of the paper in the vast oeuvre of a giant in evolution, genetics and public understanding of science has become all the more apparent. The contributions in the special issue investigate the background, legacy and ongoing salience of ‘The apportionment of human diversity’. They consider the paper’s scientific contribution and broader social relevance, also examining it in relation to some of Lewontin’s other writings.