Homo sapiens sapiens

Grany Rose15, I guess if that claim was made this year it would be worded "ethnic groups" instead of "racial groups".

The science and research into transplantation is still continuing new understanding the immune system is work in progress.
There is nothing medicine can do if organs are not available for that tissue type, usually the patient has to stay on dialysis for an extended period. That does not mean a kidney machine in all cases, peritoneal dialysis works for many.

I am not telling what I think, I am telling you what I heard. That some racial groups miss out on transplants because not enough people from those racial groups agree to donate. I thought I understood about tissue matching until I heard that. I think it was on woman’s hour a few years ago.

GrannyRose15

Growstuff The cultural and religious factors wouldn’t matter if all organs and blood etc were compatible with all racial groups. What I am saying is that they are not (yes it was a surprise to me too) and so race is important in medicine.

Not all organs are compatible for any individual. Organs and blood can't be divided up into "racial groups". You seem to misunderstand what tissue matching is all about.

I am just a human being, try to be a decent one and respect other decent people

I do have a lot of interest and respect for people's cultures though

The first thing I think when I meet someone who lives in another country, is that I'd like to try their food lol

Growstuff The cultural and religious factors wouldn’t matter if all organs and blood etc were compatible with all racial groups. What I am saying is that they are not (yes it was a surprise to me too) and so race is important in medicine.

I hope right to free speech is not too eroded yet!

Grany wrote:-

"What about the "royal family" they have blue blood what sort of race are they? One is our HoS though, they don't do much as been found, cut ribbons, wave, Some people curtsey and bow to them. But polling shows they are not so popular. Could they become extinct:

I understand from the media that the Royal Family is a bit worried about becoming extinct. They do very well with show time especially the gorgeous horses. Prince Charles was a favourite of mine when he supported and publicised environmental causes, and when he kicked up a row about contemporary architecture. This latest revelation about the Monarch's finances and the late queen (Lancaster) has caste King Charles and his mother, and who knows who else, as feudal rulers. No wonder they kept it hidden from public scrutiny.

MerylStreep

Granyrose
It’s not just organ donations. Blood donation is another problem. Some years ago when there was a big shout out for black/asian people to come forward and give I asked several black people I know why they didn’t. All they could say,was, it’s just wrong. 🤷‍♀️ I did point out that they could possibly have my blood in an emergency. No response.

www.nhsbt.nhs.uk/how-you-can-help/get-involved/key-messages-and-information/why-black-asian-and-minority-ethnic-donors-are-needed/#:~:text=Yet%20only%202%25%20of%20current,blood%20donors%20of%20Black%20heritage

What does this have to do with scientific race? It's cultural and, in some cases, religious.

Granyrose
It’s not just organ donations. Blood donation is another problem. Some years ago when there was a big shout out for black/asian people to come forward and give I asked several black people I know why they didn’t. All they could say,was, it’s just wrong. 🤷‍♀️ I did point out that they could possibly have my blood in an emergency. No response.

www.nhsbt.nhs.uk/how-you-can-help/get-involved/key-messages-and-information/why-black-asian-and-minority-ethnic-donors-are-needed/#:~:text=Yet%20only%202%25%20of%20current,blood%20donors%20of%20Black%20heritage

nanna8

We have many different blood groups,too - not to mention rhesus positive and rhesus negative. My Mum was AB negative and I have no idea where she got that. One of my grandchildren has picked it up,though. Others in the family have a blood clotting disorder - must be the royal blood of course !

Your Mum got her blood group from her parents.

Namsnanny

growstuff

Incidentally, it's not uncommon for Palestinians to have fair hair and blue or green eyes.

That's because the original inhabitants (bronze age and before) came from Greece (as we now call it).

I know. the people are all the same race.

We have many different blood groups,too - not to mention rhesus positive and rhesus negative. My Mum was AB negative and I have no idea where she got that. One of my grandchildren has picked it up,though. Others in the family have a blood clotting disorder - must be the royal blood of course !

growstuff

Incidentally, it's not uncommon for Palestinians to have fair hair and blue or green eyes.

That's because the original inhabitants (bronze age and before) came from Greece (as we now call it).

One of the problems with saying we are all one race is that it is dangerous. I used to believe the trope that we were all “the same on the inside” until I heard about the problems of getting ethnic minorities to donate organs. I was shocked to learn that it does make a difference where donated organs come from. Perhaps we are not all the same under the skin after all and the differences should be known about. And before anyone starts calling me names what I have just said does not mean I think different races should be treated differently. I do think though that it is sometimes useful or even vital to know the differences there are between us.

M0nica

^The only taboo is inbreeding, closely related parents result in greatly degraded characteristics, physical and mental.^

No it doesn't. All that happens is that there is an increase in children born with genetic disabilities because more parents will both have a gene for the same disability, but even then we are only talking about an increase in the presence of certain disabilities. The majority of children will still be born healthy and well, both mentally and physically and grow up normally.

Monica, one generation most offspring are normal but that is multiplied with successive generations. There is abundant evidence with isolated communities degrading in this way, not least in European Aristoctacy, even our own Royal family.

The only taboo is inbreeding, closely related parents result in greatly degraded characteristics, physical and mental.

No it doesn't. All that happens is that there is an increase in children born with genetic disabilities because more parents will both have a gene for the same disability, but even then we are only talking about an increase in the presence of certain disabilities. The majority of children will still be born healthy and well, both mentally and physically and grow up normally.

Caleo

But Katie, tall parents are tall, not always tall because their own ancestors were tall ,but also because they have been well fed and otherwise born into affluent circumstances.
A large strong healthy newborn may become stunted due to malnutrition or other circumstances of his nurture, such as war or famine.
Humans change the circumstances of their cultures and nurture comparatively suddenly whereas natural selection moves slowly.

Quite correct, we see this in Asia recent generations are taller than their parents.
My step daughters husband and family are all exceptionally tall, but all suffer back problems, she is average height so tall is very dominant in that case.

But Katie, tall parents are tall, not always tall because their own ancestors were tall ,but also because they have been well fed and otherwise born into affluent circumstances.
A large strong healthy newborn may become stunted due to malnutrition or other circumstances of his nurture, such as war or famine.
Humans change the circumstances of their cultures and nurture comparatively suddenly whereas natural selection moves slowly.

Neanderthal or other ancient DNA is present in all populations in varying degrees usually at a level of 3% the exception is native Australians and Melanesian’s who have typically 5%.
Sub Saharan African DNA originates from unidentified ancient humans from which viable DNA is not available. The only other ancient humans we have DNA evidence is Denisovian from east Asia and that has Neanderthal DNA included.

In more recent times probably around 60,000 years ago a much more advance human evolved, interbred with all the ancient types who quickly disappeared as a separate species.

We know from modern genetics how quickly physical changes are made, a few generations interbreeding and the original charisteristics are lost, traces of the ancient DNA is retained in the new population. Today there is a wide variety of physical traits, tall parents do have predominantly tall children, as well as a lot of other traits both good and bad. The only taboo is inbreeding, closely related parents result in greatly degraded characteristics, physical and mental.

Human evolution is to a slight and very slow degree caused by natural selection. Humans evolve culturally , a much speedier process, NB domesticated animals evolve by artificial genetic selection which does of course mirror human cultural practices.

Whitewavemark2

Just a quick comment.

I think that there have been other humans identified.

Yes, there were. That's why "homo sapiens sapiens" has "sapiens" twice. We are a subspecies of "homo sapiens".

However, there is no evidence that any of the other subspecies survived or interbred with "homo sapiens sapiens".

It all happened before our ancestors left Africa. What almost certainly happened is that many millions of years ago as home sapiens evolved, there were at least two mutations, known as "homo rudolfensis" and "homo habilis" (probably).

One of them evolved into "homo erectus", which then evolved into "homo sapiens", Denisovans and "homo neanderthalensis".

There is evidence of interbreeding between "homo sapiens" and "homo neanderthalensis", but not in people with "pure" African ancestry. This suggests that humans didn't meet Neanderthals until they left Africa. There had probably been migration from Africa before humans reached the "homo erectus" stage.

The point is that current evidence suggests that every single member of the human race has a common ancestor. Differences between people are the result of mutations, some of which gave certain groups of people an evolutionary advantage - some mutations didn't give people an advantage, but have nevertheless been inherited and become characteristic of certain groups because people tend to interbreed with people of their own group.

"Race" isn't a scientific concept. It's a social and cultural one, as are all the words which use "race" as a core.

People, like other animals, evolve because those with genetic traits most suited for the geographical and climatic conditions they live in are more likely to survive and breed. that is why dark skinned people live in areas with high levels of sunshine most of the year while lighter skinned people live in more northerly latitudes.

Humans are animals, the same rules that apply to birds, or hairy nosed ant-eaters apply to us. the difference is that we place values on people based on what they look like.

Personally, one of the first thing I remember learning in a church-going childhood was that we are all equal in the sight of God. that lesson has stayed with me all my life, and does so still.

Just a quick comment.

I think that there have been other humans identified.

Katie59 Your last sentence is correct. So-called racial differences are only cultural and historic differences. At a population level there are often more differences between people labelled as the same race than there are between people labelled as different races.

I don't understand your reasoning about interbreeding with other "types". Originally, all humans would have been very similar. We now know that there was some interbreeding outside Africa with Neanderthals, but there were no other humans. Different characteristics have evolved through standard mutations. For example, people who had a mutation for lighter skin were better adapted to regions of the world with less natural sunlight, where they had to wear clothes to keep warm. They could naturally absorb more Vitamin D, so were healthier and lived longer to produce more offspring, who in their turn inherited the same light skin mutation.

I'm not sure that the humans who left Africa were primitive. Those staying in Africa have evolved, just as everybody else has. The actress/director, Lupita Nyong'o, who identifies as Mexican-Kenyan, has been identified as having the same mitochondrial DNA as one of the very first African humans.