Why did different races of people arise on earth. Where did the different races of people come from? What are races

Do you know the difference between races and species?

Species are groups of animals, creatures or plants that give birth to offspring capable of reproduction. The potato is a species, the dog is the same species. These species have different subspecies.

Each animal has common signs and features that relate to their general appearance. For example, you can take a dog, each breed has its own characteristics, but you will never confuse a cat with a dog.

Species were formed because organisms fell into different parts of the world, that is, in different conditions of survival. Over time, only those species of animals remained that were more adapted to the environment. That is why the European red deer has short hair, and the northern one has long hair.

The same changes have taken place in man. As scientists have established, primitive people were completely similar to each other, and over time, races began to form - various species groups.

Different levels of solar radiation became a factor in shaping races. If the skin retains ultraviolet rays, then the person's skin becomes dark.

In those people who inhabit the north of our planet, this enzyme is practically absent. But scientists have not yet found an answer to the main question - when did the human races form?

The entire population of our planet is divided into three races: Negroid, Caucasian and Mongoloid. These include peoples who also inhabit the Earth: Indians, Mongols, blacks, whites, etc. Over time, the races began to mix and mestizos (descendants of whites and Indians) and mulattoes (descendants of blacks and whites) appeared.

For a long time, the difference between races imposed restrictions on the rights of people. But over time, people began to understand that the difference in skin color does not matter, and we are all the same people.

The problem of the origin of human races, their history has long interested people. Ordinary inhabitants were curious how such a difference in individuals living in different parts of the world could be explained. Scientists, of course, tried to find a scientific explanation for this fact. The most popular hypotheses of the origin of human races will be discussed in this article.

What are races

First, let's define these units. Under the races of the species Homo Sapiens, it is customary to understand relatively isolated groups - its systematic divisions. Their representatives differ in a certain set of external signs, as well as in their habitat. Races are relatively stable over time, although in the context of globalization and the accompanying migration of the population, their characteristics may undergo certain changes. The origin and biology of human races are such that genetically each of them has certain autosomal components. This has been confirmed by scientific research.

Human races: their relationship and origin. Main races

They are well known to everyone: they are Caucasoid, Negroid (Negro-Australoid, Equatorial) and Mongoloid. These are the so-called large, or However, the list is not exhausted by them. In addition to them, there are also the so-called mixed races, in which there are signs of several main ones. They usually have several autosomal components characteristic of the main races.

The Caucasoid race is characterized by relatively fair skin compared to the other two. However, for people living in the Middle East and Southern Europe, it is quite dark. Its representatives have straight or wavy hair, light or dark eyes. The incision of the eyes is horizontal, the hairline is often moderate. The nose protrudes noticeably, the forehead is straight or slightly sloping.

The Mongoloids have an oblique section of the eyes, the upper eyelid is noticeably developed. The inner corner of the eyes is covered with a characteristic fold - the epicanthus. Presumably, she helped protect the eyes of the steppes from dust. Skin color - from dark to light. Black hair, coarse, straight. The nose protrudes slightly, and the face looks flatter than that of Caucasians. The hairline of the Mongoloids is poorly developed.

Representatives of the Negroid race have lush curly hair, the darkest skin color among all major races, containing a large amount of the pigment eumelanin. It is assumed that these signs were formed to protect the equatorial region from the scorching sun. The noses of Negroids are most often wide and somewhat flattened. The lower part of the face is protruding.

All races, like all mankind, according to research, originate from the first man - great-Adam, who lived on the territory of the African continent 180-200 thousand years ago. The kinship and unity of the origin of the human races is thus obvious to scientists.

Intermediate races

Within the framework of the main ones, the so-called small races are distinguished. They are shown in the diagram below. Small races (they are also intermediate), or, as they are also called, anthropological types, have a number of similar features. On the diagram you can also see intermediate races that combine the features of several main ones: Ural, South Siberian, Ethiopian, South Indian, Polynesian and Ainu.

Time of origin of races

Scientists believe that races arose relatively recently. According to one theory, at first, about 80 thousand years ago, the Negroid and Caucasoid-Mongoloid branches separated. Later, after about 40 thousand years, the latter broke up into Caucasoid and Mongoloid. Their final differentiation into (small races) and the distribution of the latter occurred later, already in the Neolithic era. Scientists who have studied the origin of man and human races at different times believe that their formation continued after settlement. Thus, the characteristic features of the inhabitants of the Australian mainland, belonging to the large equatorial race, formed much later. Researchers believe that at the time of settlement, they had racially neutral characteristics.

There is no consensus on the origin of man and human races, how their settlement took place. Therefore, below we will consider two theories concerning this problem: monocentric and polycentric.

Monocentric theory

According to it, races appeared in the process of the settlement of people from the area of their origin. At the same time, neoanthropes were likely to interbreed with paleanthropes (Neanderthals) in the process of crowding out the latter. This process is quite late, it took place about 35-30 thousand years ago.

polycentric theory

According to this theory of the origin of human races, human evolution occurred in parallel, in several so-called phyletic lines. They, according to the definition, represent a continuous succession of populations (species) replacing each other, each of which is a descendant of the previous one and at the same time the ancestor of the next unit. The polycentric theory says that the intermediate races had distinctive features already in antiquity. These groups were formed on the border of the settlement of the main ones and continued to exist parallel to them.

Intermediate theories

They allow the divergence of phyletic groups at different stages of human evolution - paleoanthropes, neoanthropes. One such theory, according to which the equatorial and Mongoloid-Caucasoid branches formed first, was briefly described above.

Modern settlement

As for the settlement of representatives of large and small races, it changes significantly with time. So, the Indians - representatives of the American branch of the Mongoloid race, which some scientists even singled out as a separate, fourth ("red"), are now in the minority in their original territories. The same can be said about the small Australian race. Its representatives in Australia are significantly inferior in number not only to Caucasians, but also to numerous migrants and their descendants belonging to the Mongoloid races (mainly the Far East).

Caucasoids, with the beginning of the Age of Discoveries (mid-15th century), began to actively explore and populate new territories, and are currently found in all parts of the globe, on all continents. On the territory of modern Europe, there are representatives of all anthropological groups of the Caucasoid race, but the Central European type is still in the lead. In general, the racial composition of modern Europe due to migrations and interracial marriages, as well as in the USA, is extremely colorful and diverse.

The Mongoloids are still in the lead in the countries of Asia, the equatorial race - in Africa, New Guinea, Melanesia.

Race changes over time

Naturally, the minor races could undergo certain changes over time. At the same time, the question of how much their stability was affected by isolation remains open. So, for example, the appearance of the Australians who lived separately has not changed much over several tens of millennia.

At the same time, the absence of significant changes is also characteristic of the Ethiopian and Far Eastern races. For at least five thousand years, the appearance of the inhabitants of Egypt has remained constant. Discussions about the racial origin of its inhabitants have been going on for many years. Supporters of the "black theory" are based on the study of Egyptian mummies, as well as surviving works of art, which showed that the inhabitants of ancient Egypt had pronounced external signs of the equatorial race.

Supporters of the “white theory” are based on the appearance of modern Egyptians and believe that the representatives of the nation are the descendants of the ancient Sevenist peoples who lived in this territory before the spread of the equatorial race.

However, some were formed much later. So, for example, the final formation of the South Siberian race took place in the XIV-XVI centuries, despite the Tatar-Mongol invasion and the archaeologically confirmed penetration of the Mongoloids into the areas inhabited by Caucasians, as early as the VII-VI centuries. BC.

In our time, thanks to globalization and intensive migration, there is an active miscegenation, mixing both within the main races and between them. So, for example, in Singapore the number of such marriages today is more than 20%. As a result of mixing, people are born with various combinations of signs, including those that were previously extremely rare. For example, the combination of light eye color and dark skin is no longer a rarity in the islands of Cape Verde.

In general, this process is positive, because thanks to it, various racial groups acquire useful dominant traits that were not previously characteristic of them, and avoid the accumulation of recessive ones, which entails various genetic disorders and diseases.

Instead of a conclusion

The article briefly talked about the human races, their origin. The unity and commonality of all representatives of Homo Sapiens have been confirmed by many years of research.

Obviously, the differences in the level of development of certain groups of people are caused primarily by the peculiarities of the conditions of their existence. Therefore, the racial theory, so popular in the past in Western countries, is morally obsolete. The intellectual and other abilities of representatives of different races are not affected by their origin, appearance and skin color. And thanks to globalization, when people of different races were placed in equal conditions due to migration, this point of view was confirmed.

The population of our planet is so diverse that one can only be surprised. What kind of nationalities, nationalities you will not meet! Everyone has their own faith, customs, traditions, orders. Its beautiful and unusual culture. However, all these differences are formed only by the people themselves in the process of social historical development. And what underlies the differences that appear externally? After all, we are all very different:

blacks;
yellow-skinned;
white;
with different eye colors
various heights, etc.

It is obvious that the reasons are purely biological, not dependent on the people themselves and formed over thousands of years of evolution. This is how the modern races of man were formed, which theoretically explain the visual diversity of human morphology. Let us consider in more detail what this term is, what is its essence and meaning.

The concept of "race of people"

What is a race? It is not a nation, not a people, not a culture. These concepts should not be confused. After all, representatives of different nationalities and cultures can freely belong to the same race. Therefore, the definition can be given such as the science of biology gives.

Human races are a set of external morphological features, that is, those that are the phenotype of a representative. They were formed under the influence of external conditions, the impact of a complex of biotic and abiotic factors, and were fixed in the genotype during evolutionary processes. Thus, the signs that underlie the division of people into races should include:

growth;
skin and eye color;
structure and shape of hair;
hairiness of the skin;
features of the structure of the face and its parts.

All those signs of Homo sapiens as a biological species that lead to the formation of the external appearance of a person, but do not affect his personal, spiritual and social qualities and manifestations, as well as the level of self-development and self-education.

People of different races have a completely identical biological springboard for the development of certain abilities. Their general karyotype is the same:

women - 46 chromosomes, that is, 23 pairs of XX;
men - 46 chromosomes, 22 pairs XX, 23 pairs - XY.

This means that all representatives of a reasonable person are one and the same, among them there are no more or less developed, superior to others, higher. From a scientific point of view, everyone is equal.

Types of human races, formed over about 80 thousand years, have an adaptive value. It is proved that each of them was formed in order to provide a person with the possibility of a normal existence in a given habitat, to facilitate adaptability to climatic, relief and other conditions. There is a classification showing which races of Homo sapiens existed before, and which are at the present time.

Race classification

She is not alone. The thing is that until the 20th century it was customary to distinguish 4 races of people. These were the following varieties:

Caucasian;
australoid;
negroid;
Mongoloid.

For each, detailed characteristic features were described by which any individual of the human species could be identified. However, later the classification became widespread, which includes only 3 human races. This became possible due to the unification of the Australoid and Negroid groups into one.

Therefore, the modern types of human races are as follows.

Large: Caucasoid (European), Mongoloid (Asian-American), Equatorial (Australian-Negroid).
Small: many different branches that were formed from one of the large races.

Each of them is characterized by its own characteristics, signs, external manifestations in the appearance of people. All of them are considered by anthropologists, and the science itself that studies this issue is biology. Human races have interested people since ancient times. Indeed, completely contrasting external features often became the cause of racial strife and conflict.

Genetic studies of recent years allow again to talk about the division of the equatorial group into two. Consider all 4 races of people who stood out earlier and have become relevant again recently. We note the signs and features.

australoid race

Typical representatives of this group include the indigenous people of Australia, Melanesia, Southeast Asia, and India. Also the name of this race is Australo-Veddoid or Australo-Melanesian. All synonyms make it clear which minor races are included in this group. They are the following:

australoids;
veddoids;
Melanesians.

In general, the characteristics of each group represented do not vary too much among themselves. There are several main features that characterize all small races of people of the Australoid group.

Dolichocephaly - an elongated shape of the skull in relation to the proportions of the rest of the body.
Deep-set eyes, wide slit. The color of the iris is predominantly dark, sometimes almost black.
The nose is wide, the bridge of the nose is pronounced flat.
The body hair is very well developed.
The hair on the head is dark in color (sometimes natural blonds are found among Australians, which was the result of a once-fixed natural genetic mutation of the species). Their structure is rigid, they can be curly or slightly curly.
The growth of people is average, often above average.
The physique is thin, elongated.

Within the Australoid group, people of different races differ from each other sometimes quite strongly. So, a native of Australia can be a tall blonde with a dense build, with straight hair, with light brown eyes. At the same time, the Melanesian will be a thin, short dark-skinned representative who has curly black hair and almost black eyes.

Therefore, the general features described above for the entire race are only an average version of their cumulative analysis. Naturally, miscegenation also takes place - a mixture of different groups as a result of natural crossing of species. That is why it is sometimes very difficult to identify a particular representative and attribute him to one or another small and large race.

Negroid race

The people who make up this group are the settlers of the following territories:

Eastern, Central and Southern Africa;
part of Brazil;
some peoples of the USA;
representatives of the West Indies.

In general, such races of people as Australoids and Negroids used to unite in the equatorial group. However, research in the 21st century has proved the failure of this order. After all, the differences in the signs shown between the designated races are too great. And some similarities are explained very simply. After all, the habitats of these individuals are very similar in terms of the conditions of existence, therefore, the adaptations in appearance are also close.

So, the representatives of the Negroid race are characterized by the following signs.

Very dark, sometimes blue-black, skin color, as it is especially rich in melanin content.
Wide eye slit. They are large, dark brown, almost black.
The hair is dark, curly, coarse.
Growth varies, often low.
The limbs are very long, especially the arms.
The nose is wide and flat, the lips are very thick, fleshy.
The jaw is devoid of a chin protrusion and protrudes forward.
Ears are large.
Facial hair is poorly developed, beard and mustache are absent.

Negroids are easy to distinguish from others by external data. Below are the different races of people. The photo reflects how clearly Negroids differ from Europeans and Mongoloids.

Mongoloid race

Representatives of this group are characterized by special features that allow them to adapt to rather difficult external conditions: desert sands and winds, blinding snow drifts, and so on.

Mongoloids are the indigenous people of Asia and much of America. Their characteristic features are as follows.

Narrow or slanting eyes.
The presence of epicanthus - a specialized skin fold aimed at covering the inner corner of the eye.
The color of the iris is light to dark brown.
characterized by brachycephaly (short head).
Superciliary ridges thickened, strongly protruding.
Sharp high cheekbones are well defined.
The hairline on the face is poorly developed.
The hair on the head is coarse, dark in color, of a straight structure.
The nose is not wide, the bridge of the nose is low.
Lips of different thickness, usually narrow.
Skin color varies in different representatives from yellow to swarthy, there are also fair-skinned people.

It should be noted that another characteristic feature is short stature, both in men and women. It is the Mongoloid group that prevails in numbers, if we compare the main races of people. They populated almost all climatographic zones of the Earth. Close to them in terms of quantitative characteristics are Caucasians, which we will consider below.

Caucasian race

First of all, we will designate the predominant habitats of people from this group. This is:

Europe.
North Africa.
Western Asia.

Thus, representatives unite the two main parts of the world - Europe and Asia. Since the living conditions were also very different, then the general signs are again an average option after analyzing all the indicators. Thus, the following features of appearance can be distinguished.

Mesocephaly - medium head in the structure of the skull.
Horizontal section of the eyes, absence of strongly pronounced superciliary ridges.
Narrow protruding nose.
Lips of different thickness, usually of medium size.
Soft curly or straight hair. There are blondes, brunettes, brown-haired.
Eye color from light blue to brown.
Skin color also varies from pale, white to swarthy.
The hairline is very well developed, especially on the chest and face of men.
The jaws are orthognathic, that is, slightly pushed forward.

In general, a European is easy to distinguish from others. Appearance allows you to do this almost unmistakably, even without using additional genetic data.

If you look at all the races of people, the photo of whose representatives is located below, the difference becomes obvious. However, sometimes the signs are mixed so deeply that the identification of the individual becomes almost impossible. He is able to belong to two races at once. This is further aggravated by intraspecific mutation, which leads to the appearance of new traits.

For example, Negroid albinos are a special case of the appearance of blonds in the Negroid race. A genetic mutation that disrupts the integrity of racial traits in a given group.

Origin of human races

Where did such a variety of signs of the appearance of people come from? There are two main hypotheses that explain the origin of human races. This is:

monocentrism;
polycentrism.

However, none of them has yet become an officially accepted theory. According to the monocentric point of view, initially, about 80 thousand years ago, all people lived in the same territory, and therefore their appearance was approximately the same. However, over time, growing numbers have led to a wider settlement of people. As a result, some groups found themselves in difficult climatic conditions.

This led to the development and fixation at the genetic level of some morphological adaptations that help in survival. For example, dark skin and curly hair provide thermoregulation and a cooling effect on the head and body in Negroids. And the narrow cut of the eyes protects them from sand and dust, as well as from blinding by white snow among the Mongoloids. The developed hairline of Europeans is a kind of thermal insulation in severe winters.

Another hypothesis is called polycentrism. She says that different types of human races descended from several ancestral groups that were unevenly settled around the globe. That is, there were initially several foci, from which the development and consolidation of racial characteristics began. Again, under the influence of climatic conditions.

That is, the process of evolution proceeded linearly, simultaneously affecting aspects of life on different continents. This is how the formation of modern types of people from several phylogenetic lines took place. However, it is not necessary to state for sure about the viability of this or that hypothesis, since there is no evidence of a biological and genetic nature, at the molecular level.

Modern classification

The races of people according to the estimates of current scientists have the following classification. Two trunks stand out, and each of them has three large races and many small ones. It looks like this.

1. Western trunk. Includes three races:

Caucasians;
capoids;
negroids.

The main groups of Caucasians: Nordic, Alpine, Dinaric, Mediterranean, Falian, East Baltic and others.

Minor races of capoids: Bushmen and Khoisans. They inhabit South Africa. In the fold above the eyelids, they are similar to the Mongoloids, but in other ways they differ sharply from them. The skin is not elastic, which is why the appearance of early wrinkles is characteristic of all representatives.

Groups of Negroids: Pygmies, Nilots, Negroes. All of them are settlers of different parts of Africa, therefore they have similar signs of appearance. Very dark eyes, the same skin and hair. Thick lips and no chin protrusion.

2. Eastern trunk. Includes the following major races:

australoids;
americanoids;
Mongoloids.

Mongoloids - are divided into two groups - northern and southern. These are the indigenous inhabitants of the Gobi Desert, which left its mark on the appearance of these people.

Americanoids are the population of North and South America. They are very tall, often developed epicanthus, especially in children. However, the eyes are not as narrow as those of the Mongoloids. Combine the characteristics of several races.

Australoids consist of several groups:

Melanesians;
veddoids;
Ainu;
Polynesians;
Australians.

Their characteristic features have been discussed above.

Minor races

This concept is a rather highly specialized term that allows you to identify any person to any race. After all, each big one is subdivided into many small ones, and they are already compiled on the basis of not only small external distinguishing features, but also include data from genetic studies, clinical analyzes, and molecular biology facts.

Therefore, small races - this is what allows you to more accurately reflect the position of each individual in the system of the organic world, and specifically, in the composition of the species Homo sapiens sapiens. What specific groups exist was discussed above.

Racism

As we found out, there are different races of people. Their signs can be strongly polar. This is what led to the emergence of the theory of racism. She says that one race is superior to another, since it is made up of more highly organized and perfect beings. At one time, this led to the appearance of slaves and their white masters.

However, from the point of view of science, this theory is completely absurd and untenable. The genetic predisposition to the development of certain skills and abilities is the same for all peoples. The proof that all races are biologically equal is the possibility of free interbreeding between them with the preservation of the health and viability of the offspring.

Human history is a continuous series of appearance and death of peoples and states. Nevertheless, if this process can be explained from a historical point of view, then the disappearance of entire races is an extraordinary event.

How many races on earth?

Every educated person knows perfectly well that today there are five races of people on the planet: Caucasoids, Negroids, Mongoloids, Australoids and Americanoids.

At the same time, according to the Great Soviet Encyclopedic Dictionary, more than thirty different human races are known on the globe, among which scientists also distinguish ancient and relic races that have not survived to this day.

To date, the Grimaldian, Cro-Magnon, Barma Grande, Chancellad, Oberkassel, Brunn, Brunn-Przhedmost, Aurignac and Solutrean races of people have disappeared from the face of the planet.

However, of greatest interest to researchers are those peoples whose existence is not recognized by official science, but is confirmed by archaeological data.

Race of giants

The sacred texts of most spiritual and religious teachings of the world contain references to the existence of a race of giants in antiquity. These chronicle sources are confirmed by numerous archaeological finds, testifying in favor of the existence of giants.

It is difficult to say why the giants did not please modern scientists, but official science still not only does not recognize their existence. Moreover, all over the world there is an active destruction of material evidence of their existence on the planet.

In the USA, in the state of Nevada, the skeletons of the giants were placed in the museum for a long time, and the local Indians took everyone to the cemeteries of the giants. But, then the local authorities unexpectedly collected and destroyed the unique skeletons. This fact was confirmed by them in court under oath.

In Russia, tribes of giants lived in the region of Karelia and in Transbaikalia on the border with China. This is evidenced not only by archaeological finds of giant bones, but also by the characteristic names of local toponyms.

Race of snake people

Of no less interest is the race of snake people, especially revered in Southeast Asia. The peoples inhabiting this region of the planet have preserved many legends about snake people who lived in caves and dungeons of the mountainous regions of the Earth.

According to legend, the family of Buddha Gautama, the founder of Buddhism, descended from a dynasty of snake people. The first emperor of China, Qin Shi Huang, also descended from a human dragon. According to ancient legends, creatures with a human torso and a serpentine lower body ruled Athens.

Historians are well aware of the drawing on the ancient Greek amphora depicting the first king of Attica, Kekrops, whose existence is beyond doubt.

This man, according to the description of the Greek philosophers, was an ordinary person to the waist, but below him two snake tails wriggled. According to the historical chronicles, Kekrops founded twelve cities in Greece and built the Acropolis in Athens.

In Australia, there is still a legend about the city of giant cobra people living in the so-called "Black Mountains".

Lemurians lived on Easter Island

Disputes about the existence of ancient races of earthlings who did not survive the global flood do not stop. Researchers call: Atlanteans, Hyperboreans and Lemurians. There are no physical artifacts left about the first two peoples, except for chronicle sources.

At the same time, the portrait of the Lemurians can be seen today. According to ethnographers, they are the idols of Easter Island. During the excavation of stone figures, covered by the earth to 5-6 meters, it turned out that the idols have legs.

Using scientific methods, scientists have determined the rate at which soil growth occurs in this part of the planet. The time of installation of the statues was determined quite accurately.

It coincided with the time of sinking into the ocean of the ancient continent of Lemuria, from which the heights known as the islands of Polynesia and Micronesia remained above the water.

Racial differences have been and continue to be the cause of different studies, as well as conflicts and discrimination. A tolerant society tries to pretend that racial differences do not exist, the constitutions of countries state that all people are equal among themselves ...

However, there are races and people are different. Of course, not at all in the way that supporters of the "higher" and "lower" races would like, but differences do exist.

Some research by geneticists and anthropologists today reveals new facts, which, thanks to the study of the emergence of human races, allow us to take a different look at some stages of our history.

Racial trunks

Since the 17th century, science has put forward a number of classifications of human races. Today their number reaches 15. However, all classifications are based on three racial pillars, or three large races: Negroid, Caucasoid and Mongoloid with many subspecies and branches. Some anthropologists add to them the Australoid and Americanoid races.

According to the data of molecular biology and genetics, the division of mankind into races occurred about 80 thousand years ago.

First, two trunks stood out: Negroid and Caucasoid-Mongoloid, and 40-45 thousand years ago there was a differentiation of proto-Caucasoids and proto-Mongoloids.

Scientists believe that the origins of the origin of races originate in the Paleolithic era, although the process of modification en masse humanity only from the Neolithic: it is in this era that the Caucasoid type crystallizes.

The process of formation of races continued with the migration of primitive people from continent to continent. Thus, anthropological data show that the ancestors of the Indians who moved to the American continent from Asia were not yet established Mongoloids, and the first inhabitants of Australia were "racially neutral" neoanthropes.

What does genetics say?

Today, questions of the origin of races are for the most part the prerogative of two sciences - anthropology and genetics. The first, on the basis of human bone remains, reveals the diversity of anthropological forms, and the second tries to understand the relationship between the totality of racial traits and the corresponding set of genes.

However, there is no agreement among geneticists. Some adhere to the theory of uniformity of the entire human gene pool, others argue that each race has a unique combination of genes. However, recent studies more likely indicate the correctness of the latter.

The study of haplotypes confirmed the relationship between racial traits and genetic characteristics.

It has been proven that certain haplogroups are always associated with specific races, and other races cannot obtain them except through the process of racial mixing.

In particular, Luca Cavalli-Sforza, a professor at Stanford University, based on an analysis of the “genetic maps” of European settlement, pointed out significant similarities in the DNA of the Basques and the Cro-Magnon. The Basques managed to preserve their genetic uniqueness largely due to the fact that they lived on the periphery of migration waves and practically did not undergo miscegenation.

Two hypotheses

Modern science relies on two hypotheses of the origin of human races - polycentric and monocentric.

According to the theory of polycentrism, humanity is the result of a long and independent evolution of several phyletic lines.

Thus, the Caucasoid race was formed in Western Eurasia, the Negroid race in Africa, and the Mongoloid race in Central and East Asia.

Polycentrism involves the crossing of representatives of protoras at the borders of their ranges, which led to the appearance of small or intermediate races: for example, such as the South Siberian (mixing of Caucasoid and Mongoloid races) or Ethiopian (mixing of Caucasoid and Negroid races).

From the standpoint of monocentrism, modern races emerged from one region of the globe in the process of settling neoanthropes, who subsequently spread across the planet, displacing more primitive paleoanthropes.

The traditional version of the settlement of primitive people insists that the human ancestor came from Southeast Africa. However, the Soviet scientist Yakov Roginsky expanded the concept of monocentrism, suggesting that the habitat of the ancestors of Homo sapiens went beyond the African continent.

Recent studies by scientists from the Australian National University in Canberra have cast doubt on the theory of a common African human ancestor.

So, DNA tests of an ancient fossilized skeleton, which is about 60 thousand years old, found near Lake Mungo in New South Wales, showed that the Australian aborigine has nothing to do with the African hominid.

The theory of multi-regional origin of races, according to Australian scientists, is much closer to the truth.

An Unexpected Ancestor

If we agree with the version that the common ancestor of at least the population of Eurasia came from Africa, then the question arises about its anthropometric characteristics. Was he similar to the current inhabitants of the African continent, or did he have neutral racial characteristics?

Some researchers believe that the African species Homo was closer to the Mongoloids. This is indicated by a number of archaic features inherent in the Mongoloid race, in particular, the structure of the teeth, which are more characteristic of the Neanderthal and Homo erectus.

It is very important that the population of the Mongoloid type has a high adaptability to various habitats: from equatorial forests to the arctic tundra. But representatives of the Negroid race are largely dependent on increased solar activity.

For example, in high latitudes, children of the Negroid race have a lack of vitamin D, which provokes a number of diseases, primarily rickets.

Therefore, a number of researchers doubt that our ancestors, similar to modern Africans, could have successfully migrated around the globe.

northern ancestral home

Recently, more and more researchers claim that the Caucasoid race has little in common with the primitive man of the African plains and argue that these populations developed independently of each other.

Thus, the American anthropologist J. Clark believes that when representatives of the "black race" in the process of migration reached Southern Europe and Western Asia, they encountered a more developed "white race" there.

Researcher Boris Kutsenko hypothesizes that at the origins of modern humanity there were two racial trunks: Euro-American and Negroid-Mongoloid. According to him, the Negroid race comes from the forms of Homo erectus, and the Mongoloid race - from Sinanthropus.

Kutsenko considers the regions of the Arctic Ocean to be the birthplace of the Euro-American trunk. Based on the data of oceanology and paleoanthropology, he suggests that the global climate changes that occurred at the border of the Pleistocene and Holocene destroyed the ancient continent - Hyperborea. Part of the population from the territories that had gone under water migrated to Europe, and then to Asia and North America, the researcher concludes.

As evidence of the relationship between Caucasians and North American Indians, Kutsenko refers to the craniological indicators and characteristics of the blood groups of these races, which "almost completely coincide."

fixture

The phenotypes of modern people living in different parts of the planet are the result of a long evolution. Many racial traits have obvious adaptive value. For example, dark pigmentation of the skin protects people living in the equatorial belt from excessive exposure to ultraviolet rays, and the elongated proportions of their bodies increase the ratio of body surface to its volume, thereby facilitating thermoregulation in hot conditions.

In contrast to the inhabitants of low latitudes, the population of the northern regions of the planet, as a result of evolution, acquired a predominantly light skin and hair color, which allowed them to receive more sunlight and satisfy the body's need for vitamin D.

In the same way, the protruding "Caucasian nose" evolved to warm the cold air, and the epicanthus of the Mongoloids was formed as a protection of the eyes from dust storms and steppe winds.

sexual selection

It was important for ancient man not to allow representatives of other ethnic groups into his range. This was a significant factor in the formation of racial characteristics, thanks to which our ancestors adapted to specific environmental conditions. Sexual selection played a large role in this.

In each ethnic group, focused on certain racial characteristics, their own ideas about beauty were fixed. Whoever these signs were more pronounced - he had more chances to pass them on by inheritance.

While the tribesmen, who did not fit the standards of beauty, were practically deprived of the opportunity to influence the offspring.

For example, from the point of view of biology, the Scandinavian peoples have recessive traits - skin, hair and light-colored eyes - which, thanks to sexual selection that lasted for millennia, formed into a stable form adaptive to the conditions of the north.