The Myth of Race

On May 17, 1998 the American Anthropological Association (AAA) issued its long overdue and unfortunately almost universally ignored "Statement on 'Race.'" In it the association, using findings largely based on the research of the Human Genome Project made a scholarly if somewhat confusing treatise denouncing the idea of race as it was first advanced by scientists in the 19th century, that is, that race consisted of "natural and separate divisions within the human species..."

The paper went on to say that, "With the vast expansion of scientific knowledge in this century, however, it has become clear that human populations are not unambiguous, clearly demarcated, biologically distinct groups. Evidence from the analysis of genetics (e.g. DNA) indicates that most physical variation, about 94%, lies within so-called racial groups. Conventional geographic "racial" groupings differ from one another only in about 6% of their genes. This means that there is greater variation within "racial" groups than between them. In neighboring populations there is much overlapping of genes and their phenotypic (physical) expressions. Throughout history whenever different groups have come into contact, they have interbred. The continued sharing of genetic materials has maintained all of humankind as a single species."