Final answer:
Complex traits are characteristics influenced by multiple genetic and environmental factors and example of them includes skin color and height, which are polygenic. Discussions on race highlight that racial categories don't align with genetic evidence, reinforcing the idea that race is a social, not biological, construct and prompting a shift towards focusing on human ancestry to understand genetic diversity.
Step-by-step explanation:
Complex Traits and Their Relation to Race
Complex traits are characteristics that are influenced by multiple genetic factors as well as environmental factors. Unlike traits governed by a single gene, complex traits exhibit a wide range of phenotypes due to the interaction of numerous genes. Examples of complex traits in humans include skin color, height, and weight, all of which are considered polygenic traits because they are controlled by more than one gene.
In the context of discussions on race, complex traits demonstrate that the biological construct of race is not substantiated by genetic evidence. As scientists have analyzed the human genome, they've found that variation within so-called racial groups is often greater than variation between them. Human diversity is such that genetic markers, such as those for skin pigmentation, do not align well with historical racial classifications. In fact, only a small fraction of the tens of thousands of genetic markers have a significant influence on externally visible characteristics, like skin color.
This realization has led to the acknowledgment by anthropologists, biologists, and geneticists that race is a societal construct rather than a strict biological one. Furthermore, association of racial traits with unrelated traits, such as intelligence, has been debunked. Research studies have refuted the biological-racial basis for differences in intelligence, pointing to environmental factors such as access to education playing a far larger role.
The consideration of human ancestry over race may provide a more accurate and useful framework for understanding genetic diversity and avoiding the pitfalls of racially-based scientific inaccuracies and the perpetuation of racial prejudice and discrimination.