Thread: Dog breeds + human races

Originally Posted by Flibbertigibbet

You can genetically test for a dog breed,

No you can't. You made that up to try to win the argument. I've just done a masters module in the law relating to genetics (we have to study the science in detail before we can discuss the legal implications) and you are talking absolute and utter drivel. You're a racist looking for justification for your 'theories' instead of accepting the science as presented to you.

Originally Posted by Jim S

How many breeds of human are there?

None.

I hope this answer has been helpful.

Originally Posted by lankou

Can you disprove that Neanderthals mated with humans? (There are several bikers I know who make me wonder.)

No. There is evidence to suggest they might have. It would all have been a long time ago and I'm never certain of the relevance to any debate, other than from a purely theoretical position.

Originally Posted by Jim S

How many races then?

There is no universally accepted definition of race and a lot of writers and scientists have dropped it for ethnicity etc. Even where the term ethnicity is used there are few 'pure' groups. A few remote tribes here and there are of almost identical DNA, but most of us have origins across several different ethnic types. Police use certain descriptive types, but they are not clear cut at the edges since people have a mixture of origins. Likewise the types used by our ethnic monitoring bodies are not clear cut at the edges and you can always use other if you don't want to be defined - I do from time to time as it makes me feel rebellious.

In answer to your question, I don't think anyone has come up with a precise number of races and there is no clear way of using race as an indicator of human types. DNA cannot define 'race'. There are some nutty scientists out there who are trying to define people within certain nations as one 'race' - some Israelis are trying to prove 'Jewishness' for instance.

Originally Posted by Aardvark

No you can't. You made that up to try to win the argument. I've just done a masters module in the law relating to genetics (we have to study the science in detail before we can discuss the legal implications) and you are talking absolute and utter drivel. You're a racist looking for justification for your 'theories' instead of accepting the science as presented to you.

If youre doing a masters in law that hardly shows your knowledge of genetics to be anything more than that of the interested lay person, and you should know that such debating technique is fallacious anyway.

Cite some evidence to prove what youre saying re dog breeds is correct rather than just being abusive!