Race and Evolution

by Stephen Sanderson

Using 326 genetic markers, Tang et al. carried out a major study of 3,636 individuals of varying race/ethnicity from 15 different geographic regions in the United States and Taiwan.44 Participants were asked to identify themselves as belonging to one of four racial groups: Caucasian, African-American, Hispanic, and Northeast Asian. When cluster analysis was performed on the genetic markers, the markers sorted themselves into groups that corresponded to self-identified race/ethnicity to an extraordinary 99.86 percent. Only five of the 3,636 individuals were misclassified.