Can culture and religion and thinking patterns affect a whole ethnic race's genes or dna ?

Question

Can culture and religion and thinking patterns affect a whole ethnic race's genes or dna ?

can culture and religion and thinking patterns affect a whole ethnic race's genes or dna over a very long period of time, so in a way they develop into a sub species of human ?

Answer 1

Yes.  Cultural behavior contributes directly to natural selection (and is entirely natural to humans. The filter, however, operates at the level of selection (phenotypic) not DNA/genes (genotype), so there would be no direct mutagenic pressure to stimulate or cause the genetic alterations that would permit divergence or speciation.  Over time, the kind of genetic engineering that would be required to produce a 'subspecies' could occur, but the amount of time and the conditions necessary for it can not be constrained mathematically, so the second part of the question is unanswerable.

Short version:  in theory, yes.  

Answer 2

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Answer 3

Your question is confusing, if you believe in evolution, you are not supposed to believe in the concept of race. Human species doesn't have any subspecies.

Culture does not affect mutation. It is random. But culture can play a major part in natural selection.

To develop into sub-species, isolation is needed for thousands of generations, which is not possible in a globalized world.

Answer 4

Because culture & religion can affect the number of offspring produced by those with certain attributes, YES.  Natural selection will allow those with characteristics more suited to reproduction in a culture to produce more offspring & thus over time tend to evolve their general characteristics.

Scientists are not "suppose" to believe anything not supported by strong evidence & typically do not engage in social engineering as some suggest.

Answer 5

Although this is possible, it is also highly unlikely.

Culture and religion and thinking patterns would all be part of an overall breeding program carried out on humans (instead of domestic animals or plants).  What you might end up with is something which looked or acted different (phenotype) but was not genetically very different (genotype).

This would be similar to the development of "breeds" in show animals or "varieties" in garden plants (roses or plants in the cabbage family).  Although a hairless Chihuahua and a Great Dane (or Brussels sprouts and Broccoli) look different, they are genetically almost identical.  These are not really subspecies.

Answer 6

I'm not sure what you mean. I don't think culture can affect DNA, I'm not sure. But I think DNA can have an affect on how people behave which in turn can affect culture, especially if there are many related people with similar genes. I don't think there are any 'Sub-Species' of humans. Take a group like Australian Natives, they were isolated from much of the world until a few hundred years ago. And Islanders in the South Pacific had very little contact with any people except other islanders. They are not "Sub-species" though. And while there are still isolated groups of people who have little (genetic) contact with others they are still part of the same species. And both scientific theories and some religious traditions say all humans are descended from one female, we are all one people, no matter how you cut it. Racial characteristics  probably came from changes in reaction to climate, so  DNA can have changes, but due to external conditions, not cultural differences. NOTE: I think if people of 2 cultural or racial groups marry, their offspring can have a different DNA so in the long maybe "Cultures" can affect DNA, but I don't think that is how it works.