Biological Basis for Race

  • No specific “race Functional and physical units of heredity passed from parent to offspring. Genes are pieces of DNA, and most genes contain the information for making a specific protein.genes

  • Skin color – melanin (phenomelanin and eumelanin)

  • Melanin expression – controlled by the A protein that encourages a biochemical reaction, usually speeding it up.enzyme tyrosinase

  • All people have enough tyrosinase to be very black in skin color

  • Regulation of the tyrosinase determines skin color

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Slide 101 of 109


To most people's surprise, there are no specific Functional and physical units of heredity passed from parent to offspring. Genes are pieces of DNA, and most genes contain the information for making a specific protein.genes that define any particular race. In other words, all races share exactly the same Functional and physical units of heredity passed from parent to offspring. Genes are pieces of DNA, and most genes contain the information for making a specific protein.genes. The races do exhibit A common variation in the sequence of DNA among individuals of a species or race.polymorphisms (genetic variation at a specific The place on a chromosome where a specific gene is located, a kind of address for the gene.locus), which tend to be more or less predominant in certain races, although nearly all can be found among all races in at least low levels. The major determinant of race, skin color, is controlled by Functional and physical units of heredity passed from parent to offspring. Genes are pieces of DNA, and most genes contain the information for making a specific protein.genes that are present in all races. However, a recent study has shown that a single Two nucleotides on opposite complementary DNA or RNA strands that are connected via hydrogen bonds.base pair change in the SLC24A5 The functional and physical unit of heredity passed from parent to offspring. Genes are pieces of DNA, and most genes contain the information for making a specific protein.gene resulted in the loss of pigmentation in Caucasian humans.1 Melanin, which exists in two forms (phenomelanin and eumelanin) is expressed as yellow and black skin color, respectively. The darkness of skin color (expression of melanin) is dependent upon the A protein that encourages a biochemical reaction, usually speeding it up.enzyme tyrosinase, which all races have in enough abundance to have very black skin color. However, the regulation of tyrosinase determines what color the skin appears.

References Top of page

  1. Lamason, R.L. 2005. SLC24A5, a Putative Cation Exchanger, Affects Pigmentation in Zebrafish and Humans. Science 310: 1782-1786.

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Last Modified December 23, 2005

 

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