Population Genetics and the Problem of Diversity
Overview
The extent to which genes differ between individuals, races, and species has been the central theme of population genetics in the twentieth century. New experimental methods developed in the 1960s allowed the first estimates of the degree of genetic variation in natural populations of human and non-human species. The unexpected finding was that on average, at least one out of every three genes in a species hadmore than one molecular form, revealing substantial genetic variation among members of the same species. In humans related studies revealed that the genetic variation between individuals of the same race was much more pronounced than that between races. These findings called for a re-thinking of the role of natural selection in evolution and brought a deeper understanding of the close symbiosis between genes and the environment. The inadequacy of racial classifications in humans became clear, with far-reaching implications for the use of racial distinctions in human society.
Background
Natural selection, which is sometimes referred to as "survival of the fittest," formed the cornerstone of the theory of evolution formulated by Charles Darwin (1809-1882). Species evolve due to hereditary variations that favor their survival and reproduction.
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