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* *Muscle and Athletics:* There are well-known racial patterns in athletic performance that align with genetic ancestry. East African runners (particularly the Kalenjin tribe of Kenya and related groups in highland Kenya/Ethiopia) dominate world long-distance running, whereas West African-descended athletes excel in sprinting and explosive track events. For example, about 40% of top world-class middle- and long-distance runners have come from the Kalenjin (a Nilotic people who comprise only about 10% of Kenya’s population).{{footnote}}Jared Taylor, "The Biological Reality of Race," *American Renaissance*, October 1999. Available at: [[https://www.amren.com/archives/back-issues/october-1999/#:~:text=ancestors%20have%20been%20tending%20cattle,from%20just%20this%20one%20tribe]]{{/footnote}} Their success is often attributed to a mix of genetic, physiological, and cultural factors – including slim body morphology, high-altitude training environment, and perhaps evolutionary history of endurance activities.{{footnote}}Jared Taylor, "The Biological Reality of Race," *American Renaissance*, October 1999. Available at: [[https://www.amren.com/archives/back-issues/october-1999/#:~:text=ancestors%20have%20been%20tending%20cattle,from%20just%20this%20one%20tribe]]{{/footnote}} In sprinting, virtually all Olympic 100m finalists for decades have been of West African descent, reflecting genetic predispositions for muscle fiber type and anaerobic power. While social factors play a role in sports, these patterns strongly suggest underlying biological differences in musculature and physiology between populations. Indeed, even within Africa, the contrast of body types is evident: “Elongated” Nilotic Africans (e.g. Kalenjin, Dinka) are exceptionally tall and tend toward endurance, whereas many West African groups have comparatively more musculature and power suited to sprinting and jumping. Such differences illustrate how human populations have specialized via evolution. |
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-* Growth and Development: Racial groups differ in rates of growth and maturation. On average, African-descended infants and children develop faster on some motor and physical milestones than European-descended ones. For example, black babies in the U.S. are often born slightly earlier (shorter gestation) and at slightly lower birth weights than white babies, yet they mature more rapidly postnatally.{{footnote}}Jared Taylor, "The Biological Reality of Race," *American Renaissance*, October 1999. Available at: [[https://www.amren.com/archives/back-issues/october-1999/#:~:text=Many%20of%20these%20race%20differences,in%20blacks%20than%20in%20whites]]{{/footnote}} Studies (and anecdotal observations) have found that black infants tend to hold their heads up, sit, crawl, and walk a bit earlier than white infants of the same age – a pattern also reported in some African populations.{{footnote}}Jared Taylor, "The Biological Reality of Race," *American Renaissance*, October 1999. Available at: [[https://www.amren.com/archives/back-issues/october-1999/#:~:text=Many%20of%20these%20race%20differences,in%20blacks%20than%20in%20whites]]{{/footnote}} One extreme case is the Efe pygmies, among whom babies have been observed to walk as early as 6 months, roughly twice as fast as the typical European infant timeline (12 months).{{footnote}}Jared Taylor, "The Biological Reality of Race," *American Renaissance*, October 1999. Available at: [[https://www.amren.com/archives/back-issues/october-1999/#:~:text=On%20the%20subject%20of%20size%2C,quickly%20than%20any%20human%20group]]{{/footnote}} Black children also enter puberty earlier, on average, than whites: in the U.S., African-American girls begin breast development and menstruation about 1–2 years earlier than European-American girls, and similarly boys show earlier genital development.{{footnote}}Jared Taylor, "The Biological Reality of Race," *American Renaissance*, October 1999. Available at: [[https://www.amren.com/archives/back-issues/october-1999/#:~:text=Blacks%20have%20more%20lean%20body,years%20sooner%20than%20white%20children]]{{/footnote}} By around age 12, many black youths are biologically more mature (in bone growth and muscle mass) than their white peers.{{footnote}}Jared Taylor, "The Biological Reality of Race," *American Renaissance*, October 1999. Available at: [[https://www.amren.com/archives/back-issues/october-1999/#:~:text=Blacks%20have%20more%20lean%20body,years%20sooner%20than%20white%20children]]{{/footnote}} East Asians, in contrast, tend to be slightly later in maturation than Europeans (on average), continuing the pattern of an observed gradient: fast development at one end (Africans) and slowest at the other (East Asians), with Europeans intermediate – a pattern noted by J.P. Rushton and others as part of broader life-history differences. These developmental timing differences have practical implications (for instance, in youth athletics or education) and likely genetic underpinnings. |
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+* Growth and Development: Racial groups differ in rates of growth and maturation.{{footnote}} Rushton, J. Philippe. *“Race, Genetics, and Human Reproductive Strategies.”* Genet. Soc. & Gen. Psych. Monographs 122(1): 21–53 (1996) – (Reviews racial differences in life-history traits like gestation, maturation, reproduction rates). Available at: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/8851328/{{/footnote}} On average, African-descended infants and children develop faster on some motor and physical milestones than European-descended ones. For example, black babies in the U.S. are often born slightly earlier (shorter gestation) and at slightly lower birth weights than white babies, yet they mature more rapidly postnatally.{{footnote}}Jared Taylor, "The Biological Reality of Race," *American Renaissance*, October 1999. Available at: [[https://www.amren.com/archives/back-issues/october-1999/#:~:text=Many%20of%20these%20race%20differences,in%20blacks%20than%20in%20whites]]{{/footnote}} Studies (and anecdotal observations) have found that black infants tend to hold their heads up, sit, crawl, and walk a bit earlier than white infants of the same age – a pattern also reported in some African populations.{{footnote}}Jared Taylor, "The Biological Reality of Race," *American Renaissance*, October 1999. Available at: [[https://www.amren.com/archives/back-issues/october-1999/#:~:text=Many%20of%20these%20race%20differences,in%20blacks%20than%20in%20whites]]{{/footnote}} One extreme case is the Efe pygmies, among whom babies have been observed to walk as early as 6 months, roughly twice as fast as the typical European infant timeline (12 months).{{footnote}}Jared Taylor, "The Biological Reality of Race," *American Renaissance*, October 1999. Available at: [[https://www.amren.com/archives/back-issues/october-1999/#:~:text=On%20the%20subject%20of%20size%2C,quickly%20than%20any%20human%20group]]{{/footnote}} Black children also enter puberty earlier, on average, than whites: in the U.S., African-American girls begin breast development and menstruation about 1–2 years earlier than European-American girls, and similarly boys show earlier genital development.{{footnote}}Jared Taylor, "The Biological Reality of Race," *American Renaissance*, October 1999. Available at: [[https://www.amren.com/archives/back-issues/october-1999/#:~:text=Blacks%20have%20more%20lean%20body,years%20sooner%20than%20white%20children]]{{/footnote}} By around age 12, many black youths are biologically more mature (in bone growth and muscle mass) than their white peers.{{footnote}}Jared Taylor, "The Biological Reality of Race," *American Renaissance*, October 1999. Available at: [[https://www.amren.com/archives/back-issues/october-1999/#:~:text=Blacks%20have%20more%20lean%20body,years%20sooner%20than%20white%20children]]{{/footnote}} East Asians, in contrast, tend to be slightly later in maturation than Europeans (on average), continuing the pattern of an observed gradient: fast development at one end (Africans) and slowest at the other (East Asians), with Europeans intermediate – a pattern noted by J.P. Rushton and others as part of broader life-history differences. These developmental timing differences have practical implications (for instance, in youth athletics or education) and likely genetic underpinnings. |
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* Brain and Cranial Size: Numerous studies (using methods from endocranial volume of skulls to MRI scans) have found average differences in brain size and cranial capacity among races. The differences are modest and with much overlap, but on average, East Asians have been found to have the largest brain volumes, followed by Europeans, then Africans, in many studies.{{footnote}}Jared Taylor, "The Biological Reality of Race," *American Renaissance*, October 1999. Available at: [[https://www.amren.com/archives/back-issues/october-1999/#:~:text=There%20are%20differences%20in%20hormones%2C,have%20many%20consequences%20for%20society]]{{/footnote}} For example, 19th-20th century physical anthropologists like Gould (reanalysing Morton’s skull measurements) and contemporary researchers like Rushton reported such trends in cranial measurements. These differences persist even when controlling for body size. It must be emphasized that brain size is only one factor among many in cognition (and there is debate about its significance), but the point here is that consistent anatomical differences in brain morphology have been observed. They align with the idea that human populations followed slightly different evolutionary paths, possibly due to climate (larger brains may help in cold climates for thermoregulation) or other selective pressures. Neuroscientist Michael Woodley notes that human groups can even be considered “phylogenetic species” under one definition – meaning the smallest discernible lineage clusters exist below the species level, though all humans remain one biological species in the sense of interbreeding capacity.{{footnote}}Michael A. Woodley, *“Is Homo sapiens polytypic? Human taxonomic diversity and its implications,”* Medical Hypotheses 74: 195–201 (2009). Available at: [[https://www.researchgate.net/publication/26756268_Is_Homo_sapiens_polytypic_Human_taxonomic_diversity_and_its_implications#:~:text=taxonomic%20classification%20is%20considered%20where,the%20level%20of%20biological%20species]]{{/footnote}} |
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Despite the scientific evidence for biological races, the topic is often contentious. One reason is that racial classification was historically misused to justify discrimination. This has led some scholars to reject the race concept entirely or say “race is only a social construct.” It is certainly true that the *folk categories* of race (how societies arbitrarily define racial groups) have some ambiguity and that no single gene distinguishes all members of one race from all of another. However, to leap from those truths to the claim that “race has no biological basis” is an overgeneralization not supported by current science.{{footnote}}Jerry Coyne, "Once again: are races social constructs without scientific or biological meaning?" *Why Evolution Is True*, July 19, 2022. Available at: [[https://whyevolutionistrue.com/2022/07/19/once-again-are-races-social-constructs-without-scientific-or-biological-meaning/#:~:text=This%20in%20turn%20means%20that,discussed%20in%20an%20earlier%20post]]{{/footnote}}{{footnote}}Jerry Coyne, "The meaning of the biological concept of race," *Why Evolution Is True*, July 19, 2022. Available at: [[https://whyevolutionistrue.com/2022/07/19/once-again-are-races-social-constructs-without-scientific-or-biological-meaning/#:~:text=The%20meaning%20of%20the%20biological,evolutionary%20origin%20of%20group%20members]]{{/footnote}} |
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-Modern researchers advocating a biological understanding of race do not claim that races are *totally separate or discrete*. Instead, they recognize that human variation is clinal and statistical – meaning traits change gradually over geography and that any racial boundaries will be blurred at the edges. But *fuzzy boundaries do not erase the existence of clusters*. As evolutionary biologist Jerry Coyne explains, the existence of intermediate cases or the arbitrariness of drawing lines does not negate the reality that genetic ancestry clusters exist and matter.{{footnote}}Jerry Coyne, "The meaning of the biological concept of race," *Why Evolution Is True*, July 19, 2022. Available at: [[https://whyevolutionistrue.com/2022/07/19/once-again-are-races-social-constructs-without-scientific-or-biological-meaning/#:~:text=The%20meaning%20of%20the%20biological,evolutionary%20origin%20of%20group%20members]]{{/footnote}}{{footnote}}Jerry Coyne, "Once again: are races social constructs without scientific or biological meaning?" *Why Evolution Is True*, July 19, 2022. Available at: [[https://whyevolutionistrue.com/2022/07/19/once-again-are-races-social-constructs-without-scientific-or-biological-meaning/#:~:text=,And%20Me%20stay%20in%20business]]{{/footnote}} We can analogize to colors of the rainbow: there is no sharp boundary between, say, orange and yellow, yet orange and yellow are real groupings on the light spectrum. Similarly, human groups transition gradually, yet Africans, Europeans, East Asians, etc., are real genetic clusters at the continental scale.{{footnote}}Jerry Coyne, "Once again: are races social constructs without scientific or biological meaning?" *Why Evolution Is True*, July 19, 2022. Available at: [[https://whyevolutionistrue.com/2022/07/19/once-again-are-races-social-constructs-without-scientific-or-biological-meaning/#:~:text=,And%20Me%20stay%20in%20business]]{{/footnote}} |
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+Modern researchers advocating a biological understanding of race do not claim that races are *totally separate or discrete*. Instead, they recognize that human variation is clinal and statistical{{footnote}} Shiao, Jiannbin et al. *“The genomic challenge to the social construction of race.”* Sociological Theory 30(2): 67–88 (2012) – (Proposes concept of “clinal classes” acknowledging genetic clusters consistent with race). Available at: https://www.researchgate.net/publication/258190374_The_Genomic_Challenge_to_the_Social_Construction_of_Race{{/footnote}} – meaning traits change gradually over geography and that any racial boundaries will be blurred at the edges. But *fuzzy boundaries do not erase the existence of clusters*. As evolutionary biologist Jerry Coyne explains, the existence of intermediate cases or the arbitrariness of drawing lines does not negate the reality that genetic ancestry clusters exist and matter.{{footnote}}Jerry Coyne, "The meaning of the biological concept of race," *Why Evolution Is True*, July 19, 2022. Available at: [[https://whyevolutionistrue.com/2022/07/19/once-again-are-races-social-constructs-without-scientific-or-biological-meaning/#:~:text=The%20meaning%20of%20the%20biological,evolutionary%20origin%20of%20group%20members]]{{/footnote}}{{footnote}}Jerry Coyne, "Once again: are races social constructs without scientific or biological meaning?" *Why Evolution Is True*, July 19, 2022. Available at: [[https://whyevolutionistrue.com/2022/07/19/once-again-are-races-social-constructs-without-scientific-or-biological-meaning/#:~:text=,And%20Me%20stay%20in%20business]]{{/footnote}} We can analogize to colors of the rainbow: there is no sharp boundary between, say, orange and yellow, yet orange and yellow are real groupings on the light spectrum. Similarly, human groups transition gradually, yet Africans, Europeans, East Asians, etc., are real genetic clusters at the continental scale.{{footnote}}Jerry Coyne, "Once again: are races social constructs without scientific or biological meaning?" *Why Evolution Is True*, July 19, 2022. Available at: [[https://whyevolutionistrue.com/2022/07/19/once-again-are-races-social-constructs-without-scientific-or-biological-meaning/#:~:text=,And%20Me%20stay%20in%20business]]{{/footnote}} |
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Another common misconception comes from quoting Lewontin’s 85% figure (within-race variation) to say “there are more differences within races than between them.” This argument, as discussed, is fallacious when used to dismiss race.{{footnote}}Anonymous, "Race is biologically non-existent — I’m not making it up," *Tumblr Blog*, 2014. Available at: [[https://someofmybestfriendsarewhite.tumblr.com/post/80846397928/race-is-biologically-non-existent-im-not-making#:~:text=An%20argument%20is%20that%20there,it%20is%20fallacious%20because%20it]]{{/footnote}} Yes, any two random humans share the vast majority (\99.9%) of their DNA, and any two people of the same race are not genetically identical either. But the pattern of that 0.1% difference is highly structured by ancestry. Numerous loci considered together provide enough information to distinguish populations with great reliability.{{footnote}}Jerry Coyne, "Once again: are races social constructs without scientific or biological meaning?" *Why Evolution Is True*, July 19, 2022. Available at: [[https://whyevolutionistrue.com/2022/07/19/once-again-are-races-social-constructs-without-scientific-or-biological-meaning/#:~:text=authors%20note%3A]]{{/footnote}} To put it another way, the *overall genomic similarity* between any two humans is high, yet the *specific ways* in which they differ can tell us their ancestral background. This is why genomic analysis can determine a person’s continent-of-origin, or even more fine-grained ethnicity, from a DNA sample – something impossible if race were solely a social fiction. |
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**Sources:** |
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-* Woodley, Michael A. *“Is Homo sapiens polytypic? Human taxonomic diversity and its implications.”* **Medical Hypotheses** 74: 195–201 (2009) – (Argues H. sapiens meets criteria for subspecies; high human F\_ST and trait divergence). |
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-* American Renaissance (Oct. 1999 issue), Jared Taylor, *“The Biological Reality of Race.”* (Overview of racial differences in genetics, bone density, growth, etc., with examples). |
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-* Red Cross Blood Services, *“African American Blood Donors”* (2025) – (Notes some blood antigens are unique to certain racial/ethnic groups and the importance of ancestry-matched blood for sickle cell patients). |
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-* Tang, Hua et al. *“Genetic structure, self-identified race/ethnicity, and confounding in case-control association studies.”* **American Journal of Human Genetics** 76(2): 268–275 (2005) – (Found that genetic clusters correspond 99.86% with self-identified race in a US sample). |
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-* Sesardić, Neven. *“Race: A Social Destruction of a Biological Concept.”* **Biology & Philosophy** 25(2): 143–162 (2010) – (Defends the biological race concept against constructivist critiques; notes Lewontin’s fallacy and modern genetic evidence). |
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-* Edwards, A.W\.F. *“Human genetic diversity: Lewontin’s fallacy.”* **BioEssays** 25: 798–801 (2003) – (Explains why high within-race variation doesn’t negate the ability to classify races by genes; importance of correlation structure). |
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-* Günther, Hans F.K. *The Racial Elements of European History.* (trans. 1927) – (Historical anthropological text describing physical characteristics of European races). |
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-* Thomas, R.M. et al. *“Accuracy Rates of Ancestry Estimation by Forensic Anthropologists.”* **J. Forensic Sci.** 62(4): 971–974 (2017) – (Found \91% accuracy in determining ancestry from skeletal remains in casework). |
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-* Wade, Nicholas. *“Forensic anthropologists can identify a person’s race from a skull.”* **Science** (2002) – (Reporting that skull measurements can predict continental ancestry with high accuracy). |
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-* U.S. Surgeon General’s remarks on infant mortality disparity (circa 2000) as cited by American Renaissance. |
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-* Rosenberg, Noah et al. *“Genetic Structure of Human Populations.”* **Science** 298: 2381–2385 (2002) – (Used 377 microsatellites to find clustering into 5 continental groups). |
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-* Red Cross, *“How Do Race and Ethnicity Affect Blood?”* – (Explains that certain blood antigen profiles are race-specific). |
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-* Examples of climate adaptations in humans (textbook sources on Bergmann’s rule, Allen’s rule in human populations). |
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-* Shiao, Jiannbin et al. *“The genomic challenge to the social construction of race.”* **Sociological Theory** 30(2): 67–88 (2012) – (Proposes concept of “clinal classes” acknowledging genetic clusters consistent with race). |
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-* Rushton, J. Philippe. *“Race, Genetics, and Human Reproductive Strategies.”* **Genet. Soc. & Gen. Psych. Monographs** 122(1): 21–53 (1996) – (Reviews racial differences in life-history traits like gestation, maturation, reproduction rates). |
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-* Coyne, Jerry. “Once again: are ‘races’ social constructs without biological meaning?” *Why Evolution Is True* blog, July 19, 2022 – (Summarizes evidence for biological races and criticizes claims that race has no genetic basis). |
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{{putFootnotes/}} |