ABSTRACT
For many years population geneticists and anthropologists have used gene frequency data for studying the evolution of human races (e.g., Mourant, 1954; Boyd, 1963). In the early work, such a study depended on the racial comparison of gene frequencies for one or a few genetic loci, particularly those for the ABO, MN, and Rh blood group loci. It was later realized that comparisons of gene frequencies for one or two loci are not reliable as each locus has a different geographical distribution. Only when a large number of loci are examined does the genetic relationship among populations become clear. Sanghvi (1953) and Cavalli-Sforza and Edwards (1964) initiated the measurement of genetic distance between populations using gene frequency data from many loci. Particularly, Cavalli Sforza and Edwards constructed an evolutionary tree for a group of human races by using genetic distance estimates. Similar studies have been conducted by a number of authors (e.g., Fitch and Neel, 1969; Ward and Neel, 1970). The measures of genetic distance used in these studies were for evaluating the relative magnitudes of genetic differentiation for different pairs of populations. Furthermore, most of these studies were based on data from blood groups.
