104 01 Marchesi Oct 5 IS RACE A GOOD WAY OF CATEGORIZING HUMAN VARIATION Anthropologists think not Jonathan Mangini Anthropology Prof Milena Lecture Notes Race is based on biology but race is rather an idea that we ascribe to biol ogy Alan Goodman Race the Power of Illusion Race is bad science Alan Goodman 1997 21 Anatomy of a Concept race is based on physical traits race categories are stable and universal race is indicative of deeper qualities and abilities racial groupings are a reflection of biological categories Where Does it Come From 19th century ideas of racial classification Typological thinking applied to human variation Biological Anthropologist s and Geneticist s Insights Genotype inherited genetic traits that provide the basic code for an organ isms physical form Phenotype the visible physical traits of an organism which are the result of the expressions of its genes interacting with environmental factors Our genotype is integrated because of constant gene flow over our 200 000 year history as a species Homo Sapiens A remarkable genetically homogenous species compared to species that look more like us Most human variation is found within populations rather than be tween them What genetic variations exist is not a organized in discrete categories but rather into gradual and continuos change over geographic variation Clinial Variation Non concordance traits do not vary together as a package but rather tend to vary independently Knowing someone s skin color does not mean you know where they re from Skin color change is gradual over geographic space and adaptive to frequency and type of UV rays Disease Association Ex Sickle Cell Anemia African American Disease Does it really have anything to do with skin color or more with the environment they adapted to over years of evolution Malaria effects blood cells as well but those with Sickle Cell Anemia have an establish immunity to malaria t4his has nothing to do with race simply environmental adaptations