How can there be any difference at all between a black person and a white person if the DNA is 98.7% similar?

Question

It is truly remarkable that the only genetic difference between black people and white people is 1.3%. With a similarity that close, how can there be any difference at all between the two. How can there even be a difference in skin color if the similarity is 98.7%? Maybe there really is no difference in skin color since there are no people who are truly "black" or "white". After all, if the genetic similarity is a staggering 98.7%, how can there be any difference whatsoever?

Answer 1

Actually, that's the genetic similarity between humans and chimpanzees. The differences between two races of humans are much, much smaller, which is why many say that race doesn't really exist. The differences are so shallow that they barely matter.

Answer 2

Hi there

Like several other respondants I'm a little puzzled by the statistics you quote.

Human DNA is human DNA.

There are many slight differences between individuals which have nothing to do with skin colour.

Many illnesses, for example, arise from genetic mutations - incorrect copying, etc.

Likewise eye colour, hair colour, skin colour are all genretically based, as are general facial features - caucasian, asian, semitic, etc.

On top of this we each have a genotype (the actual genetic make up passed on by our parents) and the phenotype - how the characteristics of the genotype are actually manifested.

On this basis, the idea of "the white races", "the black races" and all the rest are pure balony. There are plenty of ethnic types, but they are all variations within a single "human race".

Incidentally, the stuff quoted about monkeys is entirely misleading. Firstly because the statistics quoted are largely inaccurate.

It WAS the case that the chimp/human comparison showed a similarity of over 98%.

BUT

A report in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences in 2003 gave a rather different figure. Roy Britten, author of the study, put the similarity at about 95% when insertions and deletions are included.

The study that indicated a mean identity of 98.77%, or 1.23% differences, between chimps and humans (as in many other studies which have produced similar figures) ONLY considered substitutions, they did NOT take insertions or deletions into account .

It is also worth noting that the percentage of similarity between ALL mammalian DNA is VERY substantial. For example, 69% of the genes in a South American opossum are also found in human beings.

The similarities between mouse and human genomes are even greater, ranging from 70% to 90% (approx.), with an average of 85% similarity (though whilst some mouse and human gene products are almost identical, others are nearly unrecognizable as close relatives.)

(How you choose to interpret the significance of that fact is your business.)

Answer 3

I think that you may have gotten the % wrong. According to this site, Bonobos share 99% of the same DNA as humans. Therefore human DNA would have to be above 99% similar. Anyway, that being said, even .1% difference of millions of genes can still be 1000 differences. These differences are important as animals evolve (assuming you believe in evoloution). Anyway it is possible that there can be more differences between two white people thandifferences between a white person and a black person.

Answer 4

The gentic make up of a chimp is very close to humans also but there is still a big difference between the two.
Of the 3 billion genetic letters in the two genetic blueprints for humans and chimps, 96% are identical with just 40 million differences, the researchers report in the journal Nature.
Small gentic changes can have major effects on the outcome.

Answer 5

In response to previous answerers and using this questioner's statistical assumption about DNA similarity:
1) Are we assuming that all "black" people's DNA are 1.3% different from all "white" people?
2) Are we assuming that all "white" people's DNA are 0% different than all other "white" people?
3) Are we assuming that all "black" people's DNA are 0% different from each other?
4) Is there a difference between the term "similar" and "identical" when talking about DNA?

These kind of statistics cause more problems than solutions thanks to innumerates who uncritically consume any "information" as knowledge, and then decide to make public policy on the idea they know the "facts". There is still not enough attention to environmental mediation on genotypic make up to make any group level assumptions about "races"; whatever the heck "race" means. The differences would make (and have made) little predictable sense anyhow given the level that they manifest themselves phenotypically.

Peace and best regards all...

Answer 6

Well the 98.7% of DNA accounts for the 98.7% that is exactly the same on most everyone (basic body structure- arms, legs, eyes, nose, etc) and the 1.3% would account for the very minute features (mostly facial features) that are slightly different on everyone.

Answer 7

Easy. Skin color, eye color and hair color, and variations in facial structure don't require that much DNA to program the appearance. Which still makes your (and my) point: appearance is just an accessory. It's like telling someone to choose between pink roses, white roses, red roses, blue roses, etc. They are all still roses. The pigment is just the accessory, like which pare of shoes to wear. Or more likely, which tatoo to have inked in.

Answer 8

I think maybe it has to do with upbringing? If you think about it you are directly influenced by your parents (as much as you may struggle against it) as they were influenced by their parents and so on. If you go back throughout history black people were certainly dealt a difficult hand and as the future generations were influenced by the past I can see how different outlooks and attitudes developed among families of various races... plus you are also shaped by your experiences and I imagine black people have dealt with different barriers than a white person may have growing up. but I think the only physical differences are the obvious ones that you can see.

Answer 9

omg you guys miss the question totally

first and foremost we are all human the 98.7 percentage is probably based on species

rest of the 1.3 percent is probably based on physical hair color and type, eye color, bone structure, average height, and body type
thats why races are catogorize as having certain body type...
hope that helps

Answer 10

i dont know how much do you a bout genetic code, but i want to say take it easy !

all of the things that we see is depends on 2 factor (gen and enviroment) gens are only have 4 code (= A,T,C,G)
when thay come togader thay will make plan
thiank that you can make many word from 26 alphabat

the enviroment some tims can change the code and plan.
think about when you are say some thing near you brother or your mother :
1- please open the door (near your mother)
2-hayyou open the door (near your brother)
or
2-Pleeze open the door (near your brother)

that is the neviromet !
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