As former President Donald Trump renews his push against what he calls “anti-American ideology” in institutions like the Smithsonian, the scientific community remains firm on one conclusion: race is not a biological reality. Genetics has long disproved the idea that humans can be divided into distinct biological races. The Human Genome Project, completed over two decades ago, showed there is more genetic variation within so-called racial groups than between them, confirming that race is a social construct, reads a BBC post.
Despite this overwhelming scientific consensus, misconceptions about race persist—in public discourse, social media, healthcare, and even scientific research. Trump’s latest Executive Order, Restoring Truth and Sanity to American History, targets a Smithsonian exhibition for suggesting race is a human invention. Ironically, that assertion is backed by genetics, anthropology, and centuries of scientific scrutiny.
Physical traits such as skin color and hair texture are influenced by geography and ancestry, not rigid racial categories. These traits were once used by figures like Carl Linnaeus in the 18th century to create flawed and racist classifications—Africanus, Asiaticus, Americanus, and Europeaus. These early taxonomies paired visible traits with moral and behavioral stereotypes, laying the groundwork for scientific racism and racial hierarchies that falsely placed white Europeans at the top.
Charles Darwin and later geneticists began dismantling these ideas, showing that human traits exist on a continuum and do not conform to strict racial lines. Modern genetics has further proven that ancestral lineage and historical migration shape our DNA far more than any constructed racial category. For example, genetic diversity is highest among individuals of recent African descent. Two people from different African regions often have more genetic variation between them than between either and someone of European or Asian ancestry.
The case of African Americans also illustrates the limitations of racial labels. Their genomes reflect a mix of African and European ancestry, shaped by the brutal history of slavery. Despite this, society continues to categorize them monolithically as “Black,” a term with no biological precision.
Race, while not biologically real, has very real consequences. During the COVID-19 pandemic, minority communities experienced higher infection and mortality rates—not because of genetics, but due to socio-economic factors. While some studies explored links like vitamin D deficiency, these findings were correlational at best and failed to account for systemic inequities in healthcare, housing, and income.
In the scientific world, the message is clear: race is a social and political idea, not a biological truth. Its continued use in medical and scientific contexts often reflects outdated thinking or convenience rather than accuracy. Social constructs like race shape our experiences, opportunities, and health outcomes—but they do not define our biology.
Science urges society to move beyond racial myths and toward a more accurate understanding of human diversity. While political efforts may try to resurrect discredited ideas, genetics has already rendered its verdict: we are far more alike than different, and race, though powerful socially, is biologically meaningless.
Bd-pratidin English/ Jisan
