每日背诵第四期5
Race has always had a huge impact on history, society, and culture. But according to many scientists, the concept of race has no biological basis; it is merely a social construct. The American Anthropological Association has stated that race simply cannot be tested or proven scientifically. Because humans have been around for a relatively short time by evolutionary standards, scientists say that there is not enough genetic diversity in humans to allow us to be divided into neat, racial cubbyholes or subspecies. It is generally believed that humans originated in Africa about two hundred thousand years ago and migrated to other continents one hundred thousand years later. Although environmental variations have produced the physical differences in hair and skin we see today, underneath the surface there has been little change.
种族问题一直对历史、社会和文化有巨大影响。但是根据许多科学家的观点，种族概念没有生物学上的立论根据，纯粹仅是社会建构出来的产物。美国人类学协会指出，种族基本上无法用科学方法加以测试及验证。因为就进化的标准来说，人类的存在相对较短，因此科学家认为，人类的基因不够的多样化，还不足以划为纯粹的种族分支或亚种。一般认为，人类在二十万年前源于非洲，十万年后陆续迁徙到其它大陆。虽然各地的环境差异使人们在外观如肤色、发色上大相迳庭，但是骨子里不同之处极少。
(短文节选,本篇始于：性命“忧”关 )
