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Scientist Backs off Racial Work Topic: Genetics Sorry I missed this one from Friday, but it's too good not to post. Wall Street Journal reporter Antonio Regalado had a story (subscription required) wrote about Bruce Lahn, a young scientist who is backing away from groundbreaking but controversial research he published last year in Science last September. It's controversial because:
Dr. Lahn had touched a raw nerve in science: race and intelligence.
What Dr. Lahn told his audience was that genetic changes over the past several thousand years might be linked to brain size and intelligence. He flashed maps that showed the changes had taken hold and spread widely in Europe, Asia and the Americas, but weren't common in sub-Saharan Africa.
Web sites and magazines promoting white "racialism" quickly seized on Dr. Lahn's suggestive scientific snapshot. One magazine that blames black and Hispanic people for social ills hailed his discovery as "the moment the antiracists and egalitarians have dreaded."
Dr. Lahn has drawn sharp fire from other leading genetics researchers. They say the genetic differences he found may not signify any recent evolution -- and even if they do, it is too big a leap to suggest any link to intelligence. "This is not the place you want to report a weak association that might or might not stand up," says Francis Collins, director of the genome program at the National Institutes of Health.
Several scientific groups have set out to disprove or challenge Dr. Lahn's discoveries. His own university now says it is abandoning a patent application it filed to cover a DNA-based intelligence test that drew on his work.
Some sources compared Lahn's work to the controversial book The Bell Curve, another said Lahn is "in a hurry to be famous," based on the fact that he tends to take on controversial topics. Yet another said he "does not understand political correctness."
Interesting quote from his university's patent office: "We really don't want to end up on the front page...for doing eugenics."
The story closes with perhaps the real reason why Lahn is cooling to the research. He performed a genetic test on himself to determine which version of the "intelligence gene" he had. The results were inconclusive, but didn't look good, according to the article. He hasn't tried the test again since.
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^^ And which race is stereotyped in the West as the "brainy" one??..
ASIANS--Megaloids!!
And of course Lahn bombed his own test, because he is a K-zoid!! If he were a Megaloid, he would have mega-brain power and would have achieved high marks as Asians do on all tests!!!
rasol Member # 4592
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The basic problem with attempting to link brain size and intelligence is that the brain is not a muscle, it's a staggeringly complex organ whose underlying functionality is only poorly understood.
For example, Neanderthal man had a brain that was on average, larger than the modern human brain.
Yet his vocal cords were primative, suggesting that Neanderthal may not have had the same physical ability or mental dexterity to speak a true language.
This in turn leads anthropologist to suggest that Neanderthal's big brain size may have provided insulation against the extreme cold of ice age Europe, and may not have been indicative of any particular intellectual adeptness.
It is a fact that Neanderthal is the most fully cold adapted hominid in history, having evolved in Europe over the course of several hundred thousand years - yet Neanderthal was apparently completely replaced by tropically adapted Africans [homo sapiens is and african species, neanderthal is a eurasian species] ... who had evolved in tropical Africa during the same several hundred thousand year timespan.
African homo sapiens had migrated into Northern Eurasia only a few thousand years hence.
A further problem with a simplistic equasion of 'big brain' equal 'smart', is that many diseases which effect the brain cause 'hypertrophy' or increase in brain size.
In these cases abnormally large brains indicate such conditions as retardation or even cancer.
There is no proof that brain size variation within homo sapiens is and indicator of superior intellect.
Djehuti Member # 6698
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^^Good to know, but Megaloids still rule!!
Lord of the Nile Member # 10305
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What foolishness can arise when scientific people with agenda misuse genetic evidence. All scientific explanation is ultimately filtered through the intrepretative framework impacted by social biases and norms.
Wise readers beware. Don't accept anything because it is labelled genetic scientific evidence. Racist scientists are still around in different guises.
rasol Member # 4592
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quote:Don't accept anything because it is labelled genetic scientific evidence
I would simplify and state: Don't accept or reject anything based on a label, science included.
Science is about thinking - not 'accepting' or rejecting out of ignorance.
yazid904 Member # 7708
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There are those who place scholarship on studying but they cannot do or accomplish what the 'primitives' are creating or have created! artistically or musically!
It is impossible for me to believe a 'Euro' man created or built the pyramids!
Waht is the brain size of the white American Taliban? What was Hitler's brain size? Waht was the brain size of the fellow who shot President Reagan? Waht is the brain size of George Bush?
ketch my drift?
Myra Wysinger Member # 10126
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"The story closes with perhaps the real reason why Lahn is cooling to the research. He performed a genetic test on himself to determine which version of the "intelligence gene" he had. The results were inconclusive, but didn't look good, according to the article. He hasn't tried the test again since."
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____________________________________________________________________________________________________ Quote: Dr. Lahn had touched a raw nerve in science: race and intelligence.
What Dr. Lahn told his audience was that genetic changes over the past several thousand years might be linked to brain size and intelligence. He flashed maps that showed the changes had taken hold and spread widely in Europe, Asia and the Americas, but weren't common in sub-Saharan Africa.
Web sites and magazines promoting white "racialism" quickly seized on Dr. Lahn's suggestive scientific snapshot. One magazine that blames black and Hispanic people for social ills hailed his discovery as "the moment the antiracists and egalitarians have dreaded." ____________________________________________________________________________________________________
I was afraid this would happen, here we go again, so I guess this would be consider the Bell Curve Version 2
Djehuti Member # 6698
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^^unfortunately, yes. And these 'bell curves' as always are just squirming, writhing, racists who are desperately grasping at anything to back up their nonsensical beliefs.
Poetry25 Member # 11157
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Well, after reading the article it seems that a few of his theories have been tested and disconfirmed.This coupled with the test he had performed on himself not looking good has allot to do with his backing off. He's simply lost confidence and doesn't feel he has anything to stand on so he's rather back off and save face.His claim that it has become "too controversial" is a cop out. It wasn't any less controversial when he first began this kind of research. A scientist that is confident in his theories isn't going to back away from controversy.
Djehuti Member # 6698
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^^Indeed. Even the creators of the 'Bell Curve' did not back down from their theories, despite their discrepancies.
Poetry25 Member # 11157
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Exactly, he's just backpeddling and trying to save face. I've always wondered what is the purpose of this kind of race and intelligence testing? I keep hearing how there's this great overlap of IQ scores between US blacks and whites so what's the purpose of the testing then? If these scientist really wanted to understand differences in intelligence why not study sibilings? Or differences between people who reside in different geographical locations? Why choose race unless you have some kind of agenda? The emphasis on race is what makes these studies so tainted and just plain disgusting. It just seems that there are individuals out there who desperately want to justify the mistreatment of other groups by deeming them to be inately inferior. There are people who are so guilt ridden by their ancestors role in past and present history that they are driven to prove that the mistreated group was inferior to begin with so therefore destined to fail. It's such a shame.
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And which race is stereotyped in the West as the "brainy" one??..![[Big Grin]](biggrin.gif)
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