The World Genome: By SNP and by CNV

The image above provides a graphic display of various genomic characteristics of certain ethnic groupings of Earth. A recent Nature letter looked at ethnic genomes by SNP (single nucleotide polymorphism) and CNV (copy number variant). The authors found some fascinating genomic distinctions not previously thought to exist.

A new letter in Nature combines data from single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) and copy number variations (CNVs) across 29 human populations. STRUCTURE results from the paper are below based on SNPs, haplotypes, and CNVs. Note in particular the Green cluster, which was not seen in some previous studies that did not include Oceanian populations, the differentiation between African farmers and hunter-gatherers, and the differentiation between northern and southern Mongoloids evident in the bottom row___Dienekes Anthropology

This is a fascinating beginning to a fuller understanding of who we are, and how we came to be this way. There is a reason why some population groupings are more prosperous, and peaceful than others. Part of the answer lies in the genes. Not just the genetic sequences, but all of the variations within the genome including CNVs and epigenetic mechanisms that vary. It is time to do the work.

The point is, you cannot possibly know until you look. Leftist multicultural obscurantism--denial of cultural and genetic differences--is the largest threat to science at this time. Much larger than creationism, intelligent design, global warming heresies, big oil and coal, George W Bush, or any other of the usual boogey-man "threats to science." Why? Because the leftist multicultural saboteurs of science are already on the inside. They are destroying science from the inside out--which is always a greater threat than the threat from outsiders.

The brains of men and women are different. That is reasonable, given the significant physical differences between men and women. We also see significant physical differences between different ethnicities. Is it possible that there exist subtler differences that affect brain function? Can cultural differences be caused, at least partially, by heritable brain differences?