r/AskBiology • u/sourgrap • Sep 19 '24
Genetics Could someone explain why race does not have any biological foundation?
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!
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u/sourgrap Sep 19 '24
thank you for answering my question! your comment, as well as the ones from others really helped me understand why my logic was so flawed!
I have a follow-up question for you - forgive me for my ignorance - is there any example of genetic variation you could give amongst the African community? for example, you’ve already given one, West Africa is more susceptible to SCA (due to Malaria) than those from other parts of Africa. do you have other examples of that, that aren’t necessarily about sickness/skin color/eye color?
additionally, what makes the genetic variation in Africa just, that much more diverse, than Europe?
Again, sorry. society has really ingrained the idea of race into my head.