Re: Race (primary definition)

Gerold Firl (geroldf@sdd.hp.com)
27 Nov 1996 20:02:40 GMT

In article <wilkins-ya023180002611961104310001@newshost.wehi.edu.au>, wilkins@wehi.edu.au (John Wilkins) writes:

|> In article <329A23DA.26F1@cornell.edu>, Justin Samuels <js63@cornell.edu> wrote:

|> |the different races will not speciate. With all the migrations over the
|> |ages, intermarriage has prevented this from happening, and wil likely
|> |become more prevalent in the future, since today people are more well
|> |traveld, they are much liker to meet tohers out of their area.

|> On the assumptions that geographical isolation does not occur for
|> significant periods in the future.

Which seems like a safe assumption.

|> It would not have taken much of a
|> climatic change to isolate, say, north America from Eurasia for the
|> required period.
|>
|> Even Australian indigenes were not genetically isolated, with gene exchange
|> in the far north with Indonesian fishermen.

This brings to mind an interesting passage from _tribes of
california_, by powers. He had the impression that there was a
preponderance of girls among the children of whites and indians in
california. Could that be evidence of limited fertility for white-
indian hybrids? If so, that would be the only evidence I know of
indicating sufficient genetic distance between human races to approach
a speciation event.

(Note: male fetuses are less developmentally robust, and are subject
to higher rates of spontaneous abortion in adverse conditions.)

-- 

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Disclaimer claims dat de claims claimed in dis are de claims of meself,

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=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=----   Gerold Firl @ ..hplabs!hp-sdd!geroldf