No it allows them to delineate ancestry.
In an ironic twist, however, race—and racism—have affected how we understand ancestry. DNA tests like 23andMe pack a strong Eurocentric bias because they’re based on genetic research that’s largely from one continent. In fact, the original samples analyzed by the Human Genome Diversity Project didn’t include any samples from North America.
While efforts have been made to produce more geographically representative samples, at-home DNA tests still give far more detailed answers about European ancestry than most other parts of the world. My grandpa’s tests, for instance, included incredible granular detail on his profile from the Iberian peninsula (it went so far as to suss Sephardic Jews from other Spaniards). But his American ancestry just said “North America” (a category that lumps Inuits together with Aztecs).
Your ancestors may have had a mutation that was genetically advantageous & so it spread in a specific area. But does that make them a "race" just because some of that dna produces a visible difference, especially if that difference is caused by a different dna mutation than other people in that race?
It is like treating illnesses based on the symptoms, rather than the cause.
Last edited by smf,
