Re: How are white people's and black people's connective tissues different'?

A question on racial differences in connective tissue?

Connective tissue is sort of a catch all phrase to describe the tissues of the body that are not specifically related to some biochemical function –like the liver or the kidneys. So, connective tissue covers things like ligaments, tendons, cartilage, fascia, etc. While there are dramatic differences among each of these tissue types, I am not aware of any study that has shown there to be differences that can be used to distinguish among racial groups.

The logic you employ is very common. A lot of time we (scientists and non-scientists) compare ourselves to those we see around us. Most of the time we use ourselves as the standard of normality. Unfortunately, that represents an “opportunity bias” and cannot form the basis of a scientific conclusion. This is the difference between anecdotal evidence and scientific evidence. Anecdotal observations are a great justification for starting a scientific investigation, but they are a poor basis for forming a scientific conclusion.

While there are certainly measurable differences among individuals for all sorts of characteristics, those measures generally do not apply well to racial groups. In the end, each one of us is a unique individual – just like everybody else.