DNA doesn't prove Book of Mormon historicity, either (OPEN)

Mormon Times ^ | May 17, 2010 | Michael R. Ash

[Nosterrex]

The determination of races is based upon comparative anatomy and genetics. If you found a human skeleton, you could tell what race it was by its anatomical characteristics. The skeleton of a Jew (biological descendant of the Hebrews) and a Viking from Norway would be identical. With the development of genetic DNA testing, which is a rather recent science, you might be able to determine some mitochondrial differences or probabilities, but the standard way of determining races is not affected by this. If I am wrong on this, I am more than willing to change my views. If you know of some reliable information on this subject, please share them with me.

[jjotto]

Semitic peoples have always been considered Caucasian. Someone claiming otherwise should be suspected of ulterior motives.

You are correct, the concept of “race” is a legacy from the less-scientific past.

[allmendream]

What basis do you have for saying that an archeologist would find the skeleton of Hebrew and a Viking identical?

There are distinct morphological skeletal features among much more than just four human populations, so members of just four groups wold not all be identical.

There is as much genetic difference and skeletal differences between two different groups of people in Africa (Zulu and Pygmy for instance) as there are between a Caucasian and an Asian.

The anatomical characteristics that have been historicaly used to defined “races” were chosen arbitrarily and thus could not (nor should they) be codified into anything like the system you are proposing of four distinct races that skeletons should all appear “identical”.

[allmendream]

[allmendream]

No ulterior motives at all. Just a “splitter” meeting a “grouper”. In biology, defining species vs subspecies is always a fight between those who want to split off every subspecies as its own group (splitters) and those who want to grab every diferent type and call them one species (groupers).

I was using the term as a synonym for “Norther European” which is its more modern usage; but you are right that in the terms (benighted) past as a racial category (coined for the mountains of Georgia where Johann Friedrich Blumenbach thought the people especially lovely), it did include all Semitic people as well.

SPLITTER!!!! ;)

[jjotto]

Always look on the bright side of life...

[allmendream]

CONJUGATE the Verb!!!!

[jjotto]

romani ite domum?

[allmendream]

Reg: All right... all right... but apart from better sanitation and medicine and education and irrigation and public health and roads and a freshwater system and baths and public order... what have the Romans done for us?
Xerxes: Brought peace!
Reg: What!? Oh...Peace, yes... shut up!

[svcw]

Reg: There is not one of us who would not gladly suffer death to rid this country of the Romans once and for all.

Dissenter: Uh, well, one.

Reg: Oh, yeah, yeah, there's one. But otherwise, we're solid.