Re: [xmca] Watson redux

From: Paul Dillon <phd_crit_think who-is-at yahoo.com>
Date: Tue Dec 11 2007 - 12:40:21 PST

E
   
  I looked at both the Times report and the separated twins articles an really wonder about the value of the findings in both cases mainly because of the problems of compartive research in general (cf. mike cole and barbara means book on same: "Comparative Studies of How People Think")
   
  In particular:
   
  The report on the growing differences between races " . . . compared genetic information from four modern ethnic groups – Japanese, Han Chinese, Yoruba Nigerians and Utah Mormons of northern European ancestry ." Although my knowledge of comparative ethnography is far from comprehensive, I do recognize these particular groups as being relatively endogenous compared to other groups . 98.6% of the Japanese population of 127,000,000+ is pure Japanese ancestry. Han Chinese make up 92% of all Chinese with similar endogenous characteristics. Also the study draws conclusions about European stocks on the basis of American Mormons (5,000,000 total pop), and all Africans on the basis of one tribe: the Yoruba (10,000,000 total pop),furthermore, the Yoruba are Bantu which is only one of three stocks in Africa. Somehow these characteristics of the study populations seem to already bias the outcomes of the studies, especially when the "race divergence" conclusions are drawn
 on the basis of lactose intolerance which is almost as characteristic as sickle-cells (which provide immunity to malaria among tropical african populations).
   
  The second study didn't convince me that it could actually control for similarities in the environmental differences.
   
  So it is another view but not a very convincing one.
   
  Paul
  

"E. Knutsson" <eikn6681@student.su.se> wrote:
  Just for the sake of balance:

http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/uk/science/article3031104.ece

http://psychology.uwo.ca/faculty/rushtonpdfs/2007%20PRSL.pdf

E.

On 2007-12-09, at 19:54, Mike Cole wrote:
> The following was forwarded to me by a colleague. Thought people might find
> it interesting.
> mike
> --------

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Received on Tue Dec 11 12:43 PST 2007

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