Actual biologists seem to think that "race" does have a definition within biology.
A race is a population of interbreeding species that develops distinct characteristics differing from other populations of the same species, especially as caused by geographical isolation.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Race_%28biology%29
http://www.biology-online.org/dictionary/Race
http://cbse.soe.ucsc.edu/sites/default/files/MeaningOfRace_Riese101005.pdf
The fact that all human races can interbreed with each other does not mean that there is "no biological definition of race". The entire human species is only about 200,000 years old, and all of our current racial differences have come about within the last 100,000 years. That is a bat of an eyelash in evolutionary terms, and not enough time for speciation to occur and separate the different races of human into different species.
As to the biological processes that caused the development of different races, several theories have arisen, all centered around Vitamin D, folate, and certain waste products affected by sun exposure. Notably, how these factors may affect the ability of women to give birth to healthy children, and raise those children to childbearing age.
http://blogs.discovermagazine.com/gnxp/2007/07/skin-color-vitamin-d-folate/#.U1hWlccsfOc
The morphological features between human races are significant enough that anthropologists can tell a person's race with reasonable accuracy just from the shape of their skull. If they have a chance to study an entire skeleton then they can tell a person's race with a remarkable degree of accuracy.
To say race has "no definition, and no biological basis" is just plain wrong. Just because you may not like, or may disagree with the definition of race does not mean it doesn't exist.
- Alan Petrillo Further evidence has come to light that we Homo Sapiens, right up to the end of the last Great Ice Age, interbred with archaic humans. We each have about 3% Neanderthal DNA, and as much as 20% of the Neanderthal genome is represented in the modern human population. We also have Denisovan DNA, and people in Asia may carry as much as 8% Denisovan genes. A population in Africa has a Y chromosome which has been dated to 325,000 years ago, so their Y chromosome predates modern humans entirely. This certainly muddies the issue.
Thursday, October 8, 2020
"No Biological Definition Of Race," you say? Biologists disagree.
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