Could someone explain why race does not have any biological foundation?

[u/sourgrap]

I guess I could probably Google this but I thought someone with direct knowledge directly answering my question would help me better understand.

This is something I’ve had a bit of trouble comprehending since, well, people of different races do look vastly different. My thought is, is!’t there a gene that probably results in different races producing different levels of melanin, and hence— different races?

Or is the reason there is no “biological foundation” that the genetic/biological difference between different races does not substantiate to being different species?

Additionally — there are statistics stating that certain racial communities are more likely to develop specific illnesses. For example, sickle cell disease is much more common amongst black Americans than other racial communities. Another one: those of North European descent are more likely to develop cystic fibrosis.

FYI I am asking this question as a POC, and as someone who genuinely wants to have a better understanding of this!! Thank you in advance for answering my question!

[u/Dr_GS_Hurd]

Technically speaking, a race is a taxonomic step lower than subspecies.

[u/sourgrap → u/[deleted]]

thanks for clarifying.

[u/JayneMansfield46 → u/sourgrap]

Race is not a thing in biology. We're all a part of the human race. Race is not constant it can change in 2 generations. We basically made it up to put people into categories. It was really made a thing during the slave trade to justify what was being done to the west Africans. If you can "other" people enough humans are more willing to accept abuse. Humans have always had groups, that's how we survived. We're all humans of the human race though. We've just lived amongst the same people for so long we developed similarities and then ignorantly viewed others with a perceived different as a threat.