Re: How close are Caucasians and Mongoloids related?

Robert Scott (rscott@mail.utexas.edu)
5 Mar 1995 02:44:34 GMT

In article <3j96eo$pdn@dewey.csun.edu> cc, hbhis027@huey.csun.edu writes:
>Do you think Caucasians are more closely related to the Mongoloid race or
>the Negroid race? What are your reasons for thinking so?

I don't think "race" is a biologically meaningful term. It carries quite
a few social connotations. I think you would find that most people
define "race" in a variety of different ways. What do you mean by
Mongoloid? Negroid? Caucasian? What other races do you recognize? What
defines a "race"? Is it a discrete entity?

No matter how you define Mongoloid-ness, Negroid-ness, or Caucasian-ness,
I am certain that if you picked any three members of these groups at
random, and were able to attribute genetic variability to between these
individuals either to "racial identity" -- that is variation consistently
predictable on the basis of membership in some sort of "racial" group" --
or to individual identity, then you would find that the vast majority of
this variation is attributable to individual identity.

At one time in history, you may have in fact been able to divide _Homo
sapiens_ into several Mendelian populations with more gene flow within
various groups than between those groups. These groups probably would
have corresponded to more or less geographically isolated populations.
But today, in a world of virtually global panmixia, I'd say we all belong
to one Mendelian population (or we are fast approaching that state). I
don't think race means much at all (unless you want to get into social
constructions of race, but that is probably another news group).

By the way, I am dying to know what prompted your question?

Rob Scott