The Genetic Archaeology of Race

Peter van Heusden pvh at egenetics.com
Mon Mar 26 01:50:11 PST 2001


On Mon, Mar 26, 2001 at 12:15:14AM -0500, Kelley Walker wrote:
> http://www.theatlantic.com/issues/2001/04/olson-p1.htm
> The Genetic Archaeology of Race
> DNA analysis is explaining where "racial difference" comes from—and what it
> does and doesn't mean. The study of human genetic variation has become the
> most contentious area in modern science
> by Steve Olson
> .....
>
> Over the past decade or so genetics researchers have been undermining the
> widespread belief that groups of people differ genetically in character,
> temperament, or intelligence. They have shown that all human beings are
> incredibly similar genetically—much more so than other species of large
> mammals. They have revealed the folly of attributing group behavioral
> differences to biology rather than culture.
>
> But that's not how many of the news stories have read. On the contrary,
> here are the kinds of headlines you might have seen: "RESEARCHERS FIND
> GENETIC MARKER UNIQUE TO AFRICANS." "ASIANS BIOLOGICALLY LESS SUSCEPTIBLE
> TO ALCOHOLISM." "ALL NATIVE AMERICANS DESCENDED FROM A SMALL NUMBER OF
> FOUNDERS." In other words, given how journalists, pundits, and bigots have
> interpreted genetics research, people are probably more convinced than ever
> that group differences are significant.
>

Yeah, that's what I've been saying. I first really noticed it when I read some trash in the UK Independent about how men were 'naturally' better pianists (becuase of longer fingers or somesuch) and looked up the publications record of the scientist who made the claim. Basically all publications were in the journal of evolutionary psychology (which used to be called the j. of sociobiology), with a smattering of letters to Science, etc. In other words, this 'expert' was really a marginal figure, with a publications record which was decidedly ideologically skewed. How did this wierdo get into print? That would be an interesting thing to research.

So - apart from the biases within the 'mainstream' scientific community (which are bad enough!), there is a substantial bias creeping in in the 'science journalism' linkage.

Peter -- Peter van Heusden <pvh at egenetics.com> NOTE: I do not speak for my employer, Electric Genetics "Criticism has torn up the imaginary flowers from the chain not so that man shall wear the unadorned, bleak chain but so that he will shake off the chain and pluck the living flower." - Karl Marx, 1844 k*256^2+2083 OpenPGP: 1024D/0517502B : DE5B 6EAA 28AC 57F7 58EF 9295 6A26 6A92 0517 502B



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