Heart drug 'could tackle racism'

A heart disease drug could help to stop people being racist.

According to a new study, volunteers who were given beta-blocker Propranolol - which is meant for lowering heart rates - were less racially abusive during a psychological test compared to those who had a fake pill.

Dr Sylvia Terbeck - an experimental psychologist from Oxford University, who led the study - is quoted by the Daily Telegraph as saying: "Our results offer new evidence about the processes in the brain that shape implicit racial bias.

"Implicit racial bias can occur even in people with a sincere belief in equality."