Race is not biologically significant studies show

September 12, 2000

Free Market Foundation

Race is a social concept without much basis in biology, say geneticists. Group differences between races are so minuscule as to be relatively unimportant, and have little or no biological meaning.

Scientists estimate that 99.9 percent of the human genome is the same in everyone.

The proportion of a human’s genes reflected in external appearance seems to be in the range of .01 percent, according to Harold P. Freeman of North General Hospital in Manhattan.

By contrast, traits like intelligence, artistic talent and social skills are likely to be shaped by thousands, if not tens of thousands, of the 80,000 or so genes in the human genome.

Human genomic history indicates modern Homo sapiens originated in Africa 200,000 to 100,000 years ago, at which point a relatively small number of them began migrating into Europe, the Middle East, Asia and across the Bering land masses into the Americas.

Since the African emigrations began, a mere 7,000 generations have passed. Because of the limited founder population and the short time since dispersal, humans are strikingly homogeneous differing from one another only once in a thousand sub-units, called bases, out three billion. And of the differences between individuals, 88 to 90 percent can be found within a local population, while only about 10 to 12 percent distinguish one race from another.

Source: Natalie Angier, Do Races Differ? Not Really, Genes Show,New York Times, August 23, 2000.

For text http://www.nytimes.com/library/national/science/082200sci-genetics-race.html

For more on Race, Ethnicity and Culture http://www.ncpa.org/pd/social/social6.html

RSA Note:These findings have great significance for South Africans who, not surprisingly, are ultra race-conscious. Given that all humans had the same beginnings, perhaps South Africans can be persuaded to put the aberration of apartheid behind them and start appreciating the richness of their diversity. Diversity is a great spur to human progress under the right conditions as the United States has proved.

What the USA had to a large extent, and what South Africa needs, is the right rules; they must prevent sections of the diverse population from ganging up on each other. Thus the rules must protect individuals from government actions infringing their rights. The great flaw in the rules established by the American Founding Fathers was the failure to free the slaves and protect their individual rights a flaw in an otherwise marvellous set of rules with repercussions that reverberate to this day. If South Africa is to become an economic powerhouse with above-average economic growth and an increasingly affluent society, everyone will have to receive equal treatment before the law, and this does not allow governments to play favourites. Perhaps this is too much to ask of democratically elected governments but future generations would benefit greatly. (Eustace Davie, Director)