Are there multiple 'breeds' of white people, genetically?

It depends on what you consider "white people." In terms of skin tone, some Japanese people can be as white as any white people. In terms of facial features, many Asians, such as Indians, can claim that they are Caucassians, or white people. Interestingly, the US Supreme Court has ruled that the Japanese are not white people, and neither are people from India.

In terms of biology, it is very difficult to define race, because of the complicated history of human migrations out of Africa. Skin color is obviously not a reliable indicator, as there is often a range of skin colors within any 1 population, and the difference within a population can often be greater than the difference between 2 populations. Scientists have tried many other characters as blood type and again there usually is more interpopulation differences than intrapopulation differences. About the only definitive conclusion is that we are all descended from Africans.

Below is a link to the map of y chromosome haplogroups. As you can see, in any given area there is a mix of haplogroups, although some haplogroups tend to dominate in some areas but are absent in other areas. The European countries, for example, usually have haplogroup R1b within its populations, but the R1b haplogroup is found as far east as Iran and western China among the Uygur. Similarly Italians and Middle Easterners both have a strong representation of the J haplogroup, which is also found among the Dravidians of southern India. The J haplogroup may have had its origin in the Middle East and spread to Europe and south India and even western China through migration. It is probably not possible, therefore, to define race on the basis of y chromosome haplotypes either, but you are welcome to try.

Cal King is absolutely correct, but you must keep one thing in mind: In actuality we are ALL of the same species.

In scientific taxonomy what defines a species are creatures of the same group that can interbreed. Different species CANNOT interbreed. Therefore a cow cannot mate with a horse, or a dog with a cat, etc, etc. This is the most important factor that says all men are of the same species, since we CAN interbreed. Any race of people can mate with any other race of people and produce offspring.

Skin color, facial features, manners of living, cultures, and religious beliefs mean NOTHING. We are ALL the SAME under the surface, and are therefore brothers and sisters and should treat each other as such, with love and compassion and understanding. Learning to live together and relishing our differences, seems to be the hardest thing for man to learn to do. Will he EVER grow up?

people shouldn't reply to you talking about species, you didn't ask about species. 'Species' means two organisms who can produce viable offspring, different races of people can do that fine so are the same species.

now about 'breeds'. the term 'breed' is used for domesticated animals only, the term for colonies of Hominins with different features is 'tribe'. This is not only for a national scale, you could accurately say that your family is a tribe because you are a collective of the same species.

The phenotypes of skin colour are evolutionary variations, just like how Rosellas in western Australia are red and eastern are orange. They still interbreed and produce fertile young so they are the same species, however each variation congregates seperately so is under different environmental pressures, selecting for different colours.

In the same way humans have been selected for their skin colour and stature depending mostly(but not entirely) on temperature and homeostatic processes(sweating etc.)

Breed is probably the wrong term to use but taxonomy of the human species is so completely screwed up that it probably doesn't matter. Caucasians are generally divided into Nordic, Mediterranean, and Alpine groups. "White" is not really well-defined (and when it comes to human races, that's saying a lot). Where, for example, are you going to put the Ainu?

Yes, there are.

See, definitions from dictionary.com.

–noun

13. Genetics. a relatively homogenous group of animals within a species, developed and maintained by humans.

14. lineage; stock; strain: She comes from a fine breed of people.

15. sort; kind; group: Scholars are a quiet breed.

Breed does not mean species. E.g. all the different breeds of domestica cats are all the same species. A breed is a 'fuzzy' term referring to a generally identifyable set of traits. E.g. Spanish/Italians look different from Norwegians, from Britons, from Swedes, from caucsian Americans.

I'm not quite sure what that means.

But it does make me think...

People who originate from Germany, Russia, Ireland (all of those countries); they don't have dark skin. But I wouldn't necessarily call them "white people". I think that's more of an American thing. But technically, yes. (It's probably not a good idea to say "breeds", though)

Humans are so close genetically, that race is just a social invention. We're unusually close for a species, since we were almost wiped out around 15,000 years ago.

There is only one kind of person. The union of a fertile male and a fertile female from anywhere in the world will produce fertile offspring.

Certainly. Scandinavians don't look much like Italians or Greeks. These days of course there is widespread interbreeding, and fewer and fewer "pure blooded" people of any nationality.

I wouldnt consider them species. Blacks, Whites, Asians all have a few minor changes in their genetic makeup which alters their phenotype. Two species cant technically interbreed with each other btw.

@Gahranst: Food for thought:

http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2007/10/07102...