One of the most contentious issues of research is the definition of the human race.
Scientific Consensus on Human Race
Scientists agree that the word "human race" refers to a social and cultural phenomenon rather than a biological concept. According to a declaration issued by the United Nations Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organization in 1950, all humans are members of the same group, and the idea of a human race does not exist biologically. In fact, there are no major differences in the human genome between races.
Societal Perceptions and Prejudices
The idea of the human race is deeply ingrained in our culture. It is accompanied by a great deal of bigotry and hate. There certain things that people associate with race such as intelligence, economic prosperity, and behavior.
Clinal Variation and Genetic Traits
Clinal variation is a method of classifying biological differences in human beings. The technique uses genetic traits to classify human race. It replaced the inaccurate population model of classifying people. The clinal variation takes into consideration genetic characteristics like blood groups and melanin production. According to the clinal variation concept, those people who share more genetic traits are related than those who are not. For instance, a black person is more related to another black individual than a white person because they share a genetic trait like melanin production. In addition, people who are more related tend to share other genetic traits like DNA makeup and blood groups.
Inaccuracy of the Concept of Human Race
The concept of human race is not based on any biological reality. It is the concept people use to refer to cultural differences and lacks any scientific backing. Clinal variation is a much more accurate method of categorizing humans. It is based on genetic characteristics rather than physical traits like skin color.