July 20, 2004
DECONSTRUCTING THE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN GENETICS AND RACE
A very important new review of race and genetics. This sentence is particularly noteworthy:
Frequently, it is erroneously contended that the high (85–95%) within-group variance of human populations is inconsistent with the existence of races because differences between individuals are greater than differences between groups.
Nature Reviews Genetics 5, 598-609 (2004); doi:10.1038/nrg1401
Michael Bamshad et al.
The success of many strategies for finding genetic variants that underlie complex traits depends on how genetic variation is distributed among human populations. This realization has intensified the investigation of genetic differences among groups, which are often defined by commonly used racial labels. Some scientists argue that race is an adequate proxy of ancestry, whereas others claim that race belies how genetic variation is apportioned. Resolving this controversy depends on understanding the complicated relationship between race, ancestry and the demographic history of humans. Recent discoveries are helping us to deconstruct this relationship, and provide better guidance to scientists and policy makers.
Posted by Dienekes at July 20, 2004 05:51 PM | PermaLink