Are people LESS genetically similar to people in their own race than to people in other races?

My friend swears that (for example) a black person is more likely to be genetically similar to a white person than to another black person. (and vice versa throughout races) Her professor told her this.





Not only does this go against common sense it also seems impossible. If this were true than a group of white people would be genetically more similar to a group of black people than to themselves. So the genetic similarity to black people would be something that the group of white people would have in common and would thus make them more similar and not less similar!?!?





It's kind of a paradox.





Please explain this to me. Citing to a study would be helpful.

Are people LESS genetically similar to people in their own race than to people in other races?
This opinion (or theory) your friend mentions can be traced back to a 1972 paper by Richard Lewontin ( http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Richard_Lew... ). However, your friend (or you) has understood it a bit wrong. The idea Lewontin presented was that there exists more variation within racial groups than between. This doesn't mean that a black person is more likely to be genetically similar to a white person than to another black person. It only means that black people, as a group, have more genetically in common with white people as a group, than two individuals from either of the groups have. I don't know how to state that any more clearly, I think you should think about that single statement: "there exists more variation within racial groups than between", and think what it really means. It means that it is possible, and not even too hard, to find one black and one white who probably have more common genes than randomly picked two white or two black people. It doesn't mean that every black-and-white pair you make are like this.





However, even this theory has been disputed in an 2003 paper by A.W.F. Edwards ( http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lewontin%27... ). I suggest you and your friend read more, and ask from this professor about this paper of Edwards.
Reply:Sometimes common sense is the only sense. If this were true, there would be no genetic diseases limited to only one race. Sickle cell anemia is limited ony to people with black origins someswhere in their histories.





Everyone knows less than they think they do. College professors maybe even more so since they are considered experts. Know the definition of an expert? Someone who knows more %26amp; more about less %26amp; less.

roller skates