Scientific and genetic basis of race

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New analyses of the human genome have established that human evolution has been recent, copious, and regional. Biologists scanning the genome for evidence of natural selection have detected signals of many genes that have been favored by natural selection in the recent evolutionary past. No less than 14% of the human genome, according to one estimate, has changed under this recent evolutionary pressure.

Analysis of genomes from around the world establishes that there is a biological basis for race, despite the official statements to the contrary of leading social science organizations. An illustration of the point is the fact that with mixed race populations, such as African Americans, geneticists can now track along an individual's genome, and assign each segment to an African or European ancestor, an exercise that would be impossible if race did not have some basis in biological reality.

https://time.com/91081/what-science-says-about-race-and-genetics/

Despite the low average level of between-group variation, clusters recently inferred from multilocus genetic data coincide closely with groups defined by self-identified race or continental ancestry.

https://www.nature.com/articles/ng1456

Here we present the results of an analysis of genetic data at the level of the individual. A tree relating 144 individuals from 12 human groups of Africa, Asia, Europe, and Oceania, inferred from an average of 75 DNA polymorphisms/individual, is remarkable in that most individuals cluster with other members of their regional group. In order to interpret this tree, we consider the factors that influence the tree pattern, including the number of genetic loci examined, the length of population isolation, the sampling process, and the extent of gene flow among groups. Understanding the impact of these factors enables us to infer details of human evolutionary history that might otherwise remain undetected.

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC1715971/

Within-population differences among individuals account for 93 to 95% of genetic variation; differences among major groups constitute only 3 to 5%. Nevertheless, without using prior information about the origins of individuals, we identified six main genetic clusters, five of which correspond to major geographic regions, and subclusters that often correspond to individual populations.

https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/12493913/

Nevertheless, we believe that it is inappropriate to simply abandon the use of race and ethnicity in biomedical research and clinical practice, since these variables capture important epidemiologic information, including social determinants of health such as racism and discrimination, socioeconomic position, and environmental exposures. Eliminating the use of race/ethnicity, or implementing a race/ethnicity-blind approach, could enable inequitable health care systems to persist and exacerbate racial/ethnic inequities in health outcomes.

https://www.nejm.org/doi/full/10.1056/NEJMms2029562

There are also differences in incidence of specific lesions based on race and ethnicity. Patent ductus arteriosus (PDA) and ventricular septal defects (VSDs) are more common in Europeans, whereas atrial septal defects (ASDs) are more common in Hispanics (Fixler et al. 1990; Egbe et al. 2014). The differences observed based on gender and race suggest that genetics play an important role in the development of specific types of CHD, with certain populations having increased genetic susceptibility.

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC7280080/

Subjects identified themselves as belonging to one of four major racial/ethnic groups (white, African American, East Asian, and Hispanic) and were recruited from 15 different geographic locales within the United States and Taiwan. Genetic cluster analysis of the microsatellite markers produced four major clusters, which showed near-perfect correspondence with the four self-reported race/ethnicity categories. Of 3,636 subjects of varying race/ethnicity, only 5 (0.14%) showed genetic cluster membership different from their self-identified race/ethnicity.

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC1196372/

Large-scale multi-ethnic cohorts offer unprecedented opportunities to elucidate the genetic factors influencing complex traits related to health and disease among minority populations. At the same time, the genetic diversity in these cohorts presents new challenges for analysis and interpretation. We consider the utility of race and/or ethnicity categories in genome-wide association studies (GWASs) of multi-ethnic cohorts. We demonstrate that race/ethnicity information enhances the ability to understand population-specific genetic architecture.

https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/31564439/