2-2 Short Paper: Race and Biology
Beverly Cogburn
Southern New Hampshire University
Race is a term that should be used when talking about the human race, not racial divides
within our own species. The biological human race as a whole has many similarities, such as,
embryonic development, body physiology and composition, biochemistry, and genetic makeup.
Regardless of what we have learned in the past, most chronic and terminal diseases affect the
human population without discrimination and susceptibility is independent of geography or
ethnicity. That fact alone suggests how truly identical the human race is (Hadjiargyrou, 2014). It
has been documented throughout history that different populations have interbred; resulting in
DNA sharing that has contributed to maintaining the human race as a species. This allows ethnic
groups to share the basic human characteristics while most populations are a diverse mix of
different ethnic groups and genes (American Anthropological Association, 2016)
The term race has been misused and continues to be misused to divide the human race
into color-coded groups. The reason for this classification is escaping most people as it has only
served to cause unnecessary labels and struggles such as, segregation, slavery, war, genocide, and
riots (Hadjiargyrou, 2014). Throughout history race has often represented social variations
rather than physical ones. It was an easy way to refer to the different geographic populations
brought together in colonial times. The idea of race was also used to justify inequality among
populations and the use of slave labor (AAA, 2016). This alludes to the fact that in the most
basic sense, people in history used the obvious differences to separate themselves from each
other.
Any variations between ethnic groups can be attributed to environmental and lifestyle
factors, which may or may not have to do with actual geographical location. Human potential
can be limited by both environmental and biological factors. While some geographic areas do
have a uniform population as far as ethnicity goes, it is not absolute. Ethnic groups know no
geographic boundaries and spread across all continents (Cartmill, 1998). There are parts of the
world that some ethnicities tend to congregate towards and this would be depending on climate
preference and comfort with the general area. There is also the fact that humans usually like to
live near other with similar interests and beliefs.
Human cultural behavior is often mistaken for race or racial behavior, is actually a
learned behavior from the environment. A member of the human race is not born with a certain
culture, temperament, disposition, or personality. These are all modifications that occur after
birth depending on the child's environment. All humans have the ability to learn any cultural
behavior from any age (AAA, 2016). For example, the transportation of immigrants shows that
even those who are solid in their cultural beliefs can learn new cultural and societal norms
Many human populations with obvious ethnic and cultural beliefs remain a genetic
mixture of variable DNA. This excludes these groups from normal racial classifications because
one cannot be classified