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Race and Genetics
On the surface, race seems like a legitimate way of categorizing human beings. Physical characteristics are passed down from parent to child, thereby recreating racial markers. However, the concept of race is generally rooted in ignorance. Race is an ephemeral construction, and genetic science is proving this to be so. If race were real, then there would be ways of tracing different races back to a few ancestors: such as an ancestral Polynesian, ancestral African, and ancestral Jew. As it stands, though, all human beings trace ancestry to the same basic gene pool from humanoid ancestors in Africa. This one fact alone is sufficient to debunk the concept that race "exists," or is a form of biological determinism. There are other reasons to believe that race is not as real as was once thought. Race is not real, and the reasons are rooted in genetic science, anthropology, linguistics, and sociology.
Genetic science research is showing that the genetic anomalies that...
For example, Adelman (2003) points out that the Tay Sachs disease was once believed to be a Jewish disease, but many Gentiles carry the Tay Sachs gene. Of course, that could be due to the fact that some Christians might have once been Jews and later converted. However, the same is true for Sickle Cell Anemia, which was once believed to be a genetic abnormality present only in African-Americans. New research shows that Sickle Cell Anemia is not present in the ancestral groups of former slaves, showing that there is no "racial" component to the disease. Instead, there is a geographic component, linked closely to anthropology and patterns of population migration. In the case with Sickle Cell Anemia, the gene is found in some Arab and Greek populations, which has led researchers to conclude that the disease was spread via old trade routes from Africa to the Middle East and Europe (Adelman, 2003). Human genetics are not…
References
Adelman, L. (2003). Race and gene studies: what differences make a difference? Retrieved online: http://www.pbs.org/race/000_About/002_04-background-01-02.htm
Entine, J. (2012). Jews Are a 'Race,' Genes Reveal. The Jewish Daily Forward. Retrieved online: http://forward.com/articles/155742/jews-are-a-race-genes-reveal/?p=all
10. Colorblindness will not end racism. Pretending race doesn't exist is not the same as creating equality. Race is more than stereotypes and individual prejudice. To combat racism, we need to identify and remedy social policies that advantage some groups at the expense of others. To be able to eliminate the racism, we do not have to eliminate the concept of race. This is not a solution; this will only hide
Race and Genetics Regardless of the way we look at it, race is indeed a subject that has much influence on the social, political as well as economic relations of people. Historically, supposed differences existing between individuals on the basis of race have been developed and sustained for various reasons. This has in some instances turned race into a highly emotive and divisive issue. However, it is important to note that
Genetics Option 3: Darwin's Perspective According to Darwin, the survival of a species is determined by the degree of strength of its members. Thus, the "fittest" in terms of physical prowess as well as to a degree mental capacity survives. Human beings have long used their mental capacity to overcome the challenges of the physical environment. The very first discoveries of tools, fire and the wheel have set the species apart from
Race: The Power of an Illusion The constructed notion of race, as reinforced through good science, is also reinforced throughout the first episode of this PBS documentary. In the past, poor and racist science has attempted to classify human individuals according to racial categories and failed miserably. However, good science shows that the very notion of racial separations between individuals of different geographies and cultures is in fact specious, and genetically,
Coronary Artery Disease (CAD) is linked to genetic inheritance, and more than 250 genes have been explored as having potential links with CAD. Although these genes are thought not to directly pass on CAD, research has seen that some mutations within these particular genes actually increase the risk of CAD within an individual who as immediate family members who have already suffered from the affects of CAD. Further research
Although there are potential social costs associated with linking race or ethnic background with genetics, we believe that these potential costs are outweighed by the benefits in terms of diagnosis and research. Ignoring racial and ethnic differences in medicine and biomedical research will not make them disappear. Rather than ignoring these differences, scientists should continue to use them as starting points for further research. Only by focusing attention on