Hey, Justin! Are Jews worse anti-Austrians than Germans? Or would there be something a bit off in an assertion of that stamp?
Absolutely agree with you about this almost pathetic triumphalism we're seeing on the strength of the gene count, though. Just because there are only three billion chemical base pairs to the human genome - organised across 24 chromosomes - in every nucleus of every cell in the human body - together producing about 100000 proteins - in gawd-knows-what permutations - each of about 20 amino acids in constitution - in gawd-knows-what combinations ... it follows that ... what?
I mean, how great a leap in knowledge has really been made here - sure, it was great as a necessary step towards knowledge - but, as data in itself, it's got bugger-all to tell us about anything, I reckon.
Furthermore, and, I hope, not offensively simplistically, I submit just one gene has the potential to make a lot of difference. Manchester United, as eleven components arranged on one side of a field, look just like, and are effectively just like, Yeovil Town FC arranged similarly on the other side of the same field.
Until you add one little component to the mix - a ball. All kinds of interactions suddenly become possible that were not possible before. And these interactions, all dependent on that one little addition to the mix, are what distinguish Manchester United from Yeovil Town FC to such a cruel extent.
Can ya tell I'm avoiding work again? Rob.