Why do some people object to the study of human variation within and between populations?
The history of misuse of racial ideas urges great caution in using racial categories in health care or research. Yet investigation of human genetic differences has the potential to save lives by demonstrating why some people get sick and others don’t. Given this potential, research into human genetic variation – including the differences between human groups – can be expected to accelerate. The findings of genetics can help dispel racial stereotypes by revealing the complex origins of traits and the close biological affinities among all human groups. Genetics research has shown that people are much more closely related than they think. For example, because of the way genetic variation is distributed in the human population, compatible blood and tissue donors are almost as likely to come from another racial group as from one’s own. Stories in newspapers, magazines, and television shows can strongly influence how people think about these issues. The media tend to emphasize the discovery
Related Questions
- How much genetic variation is there in Homo sapiens? How different are human populations from each other genetically, and what is the meaning of those differences biologically?
- What is the study of the variation in cultural expression among human groups a part of?
- How Do Scientists Study Human Genetic Variation?
