Final answer:
In biology, the term 'race' is often synonymous with 'subspecies' but this is not applicable to humans due to the overwhelming evidence that race is more of a social construct than a biological one. Genetic studies reveal greater diversity within racial groups than between them, leading scientific organizations to reject the biological explanations of race.
Step-by-step explanation:
In the biological sciences, the term race has often been used interchangeably with the term subspecies. However, in the context of human populations, the concept of race is widely seen as a social construct rather than a scientifically valid biological category. Factors such as cultural or socioeconomic isolation have historically influenced the social construction of race. Studies, such as those by Rosenberg et al., show that genetic variation within populations is often greater than that between them, suggesting that traditional racial categories don't align with actual genetic differences.
Organizations like the American Association of Anthropologists and the American Psychological Association have rejected biological explanations of race, considering them outdated and based on pseudoscience.v Furthermore, geneticists argue that of the thousands of genetic markers in humans, very few align with the categories used to define race. For instance, only about 15 of our 45,000 genetic markers are responsible for skin pigmentation. Overall, the evolving understanding of human genetics emphasizes a greater genetic diversity within any given racial group than between different groups, challenging the use of race as a variable in genetic research.