Perhaps the most important bit of science on race

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Craig234

Lifer
May 1, 2006
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Of the various politics on race issues - much of which is about 'appreciating diversity' and such - the most important bit of science affect politics might be the following.

"The Journey of Man" is a documentary by a genetic scientist who traced the migration of the human race by looking at genetic markers in people.

The findings:

- All of humanity is descended from one African man 60,000 years ago.

- The human race was only in Africa until about 40,000 years ago. 2000 generations.

- The first migration led to a branch of humanity that went to Australia (aborigines).

- A later branch went to central Asia; and 10 to 20 people migrated in an ice age to North America 15,000 years ago, the first people in the Americas, ancestors to the Natives.

It's remarkable to consider that all human diversity has evolved in those 2000 generations; about 800 generations in the Americas.

This should help people feel some part of being 'the same human race' that so many forget as they fall into racial divides.

Humbling to consider what might have happened to the human race with something happening to that one man.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Journey_of_Man:_A_Genetic_Odyssey
 
H

Howard

Lifer
Oct 14, 1999
47,982
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If it wasn't that human, it would've been another.

Why dwell on things that happened by chance?
 
LagunaX

LagunaX

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Jan 7, 2010
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What about the pure Homo Sapiens vs. those that have Neanderthal genetic interbreeding?

"Any human whose ancestral group developed outside Africa has a little Neanderthal in them – between 1 and 4 per cent of their genome, Pääbo's team estimates. In other words, humans and Neanderthals had sex and had hybrid offspring. A small amount of that genetic mingling survives in "non-Africans" today: Neanderthals didn't live in Africa, which is why sub-Saharan African populations have no trace of Neanderthal DNA. It's impossible to know how often humans invited Neanderthals back to their cave (and vice versa), but the genome data offers some intriguing details.
"It must have been at least 45,000 years ago," says David Reich, a geneticist at Harvard Medical School who was involved in the project. That's because all non-Africans – be they from France, China or Papua New Guinea – share the same amount of Neanderthal DNA, suggesting that interbreeding occurred before those populations split. The timing makes the Middle East the likeliest place where humans leaving Africa and resident Neanderthals did the deed."


http://www.newscientist.com/article...genome-reveals-interbreeding-with-humans.html
 
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Dr. Zaus

Dr. Zaus

Lifer
Oct 16, 2008
11,764
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The variation within particular genetic groups is greater than the variation between groups. This says to me that there is not a statistical significant difference between genetic groups.

This makes culture, not race, the construct of interest.
 
davmat787

davmat787

Diamond Member
Nov 30, 2010
5,512
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LagunaX said:
What about the pure Homo Sapiens vs. those that have Neanderthal genetic interbreeding?
Click to expand...

They are relegated to doing GEICO commercials.

Craig, I agree these facts are interesting and all, but what is the "news" related to this issue? I saw this documentary in 2004 or 5 I think. Don't mean to sound harsh, but I think this is fairly common knowledge now days. Is this simply a "can't we all get along" post then? :p
 
Karl Agathon

Karl Agathon

Golden Member
Sep 30, 2010
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I always thought the humanoids from the Galactica and its fleet who arrived here on Earth 150.000 years ago who had something to do with it.
 
G

gingermeggs

Golden Member
Dec 22, 2008
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Siddhartha said:
LOL!

What??

How are the results of tracking Human Mitochondrial DNA and Human Y chromosomal DNA "Marxist view on evolution"?

LOL!

BTW thank you for the laughs!
Click to expand...

Marx believed in evolution absolutely!
So yes he's right, the irony is the reason he says it!
I wonder will he shoot himself oneday?
 
Siddhartha

Siddhartha

Lifer
Oct 17, 1999
12,505
3
81
gingermeggs said:
Marx believed in evolution absolutely!
So yes he's right, the irony is the reason he says it!
I wonder will he shoot himself oneday?
Click to expand...

Because Marx believed in evolution does not make the results of tracking Human Mitochondrial DNA and Human Y chromosomal DNA a "Marxist" view on evolution.
 
pcgeek11

pcgeek11

Lifer
Jun 12, 2005
22,225
4,932
136
Craig234 said:
Of the various politics on race issues - much of which is about 'appreciating diversity' and such - the most important bit of science affect politics might be the following.

"The Journey of Man" is a documentary by a genetic scientist who traced the migration of the human race by looking at genetic markers in people.

The findings:

- All of humanity is descended from one African man 60,000 years ago.

- The human race was only in Africa until about 40,000 years ago. 2000 generations.

- The first migration led to a branch of humanity that went to Australia (aborigines).

- A later branch went to central Asia; and 10 to 20 people migrated in an ice age to North America 15,000 years ago, the first people in the Americas, ancestors to the Natives.

It's remarkable to consider that all human diversity has evolved in those 2000 generations; about 800 generations in the Americas.

This should help people feel some part of being 'the same human race' that so many forget as they fall into racial divides.

Humbling to consider what might have happened to the human race with something happening to that one man.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Journey_of_Man:_A_Genetic_Odyssey
Click to expand...

Looks like a lot of speculation to me. For example how could they know that " A later branch went to central Asia; and 10 to 20 people migrated in an ice age to North America 15,000 years ago, the first people in the Americas, ancestors to the Natives."

Really 10 - 20 people. That specific. I think not.
 
cybrsage

cybrsage

Lifer
Nov 17, 2011
13,021
0
0
They can make a pretty good guess as to a population size based on the genetic markers they trace backwards. When there are only a small number of different markers, either only a small number made the trek or a large number did and most of them died before making it to their destination.

I am bound to believe the latter.
 
M

Mursilis

Diamond Member
Mar 11, 2001
7,756
11
81
Craig234 said:
Humbling to consider what might have happened to the human race with something happening to that one man.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Journey_of_Man:_A_Genetic_Odyssey
Click to expand...

What's most humbling to me is the fact that distant, over-the-horizon island chains like Hawaii got populated so long ago. It took some serious courage for ancient sailors and navigators to venture that far out to sea without knowing for certain they'd find hospitable land, or even make it back. They definitely put their lives on the line.
 
Atreus21

Atreus21

Lifer
Aug 21, 2007
12,001
571
126
Craig234 said:
Of the various politics on race issues - much of which is about 'appreciating diversity' and such - the most important bit of science affect politics might be the following.

"The Journey of Man" is a documentary by a genetic scientist who traced the migration of the human race by looking at genetic markers in people.

The findings:

- All of humanity is descended from one African man 60,000 years ago.

- The human race was only in Africa until about 40,000 years ago. 2000 generations.

- The first migration led to a branch of humanity that went to Australia (aborigines).

- A later branch went to central Asia; and 10 to 20 people migrated in an ice age to North America 15,000 years ago, the first people in the Americas, ancestors to the Natives.

It's remarkable to consider that all human diversity has evolved in those 2000 generations; about 800 generations in the Americas.

This should help people feel some part of being 'the same human race' that so many forget as they fall into racial divides.

Humbling to consider what might have happened to the human race with something happening to that one man.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Journey_of_Man:_A_Genetic_Odyssey
Click to expand...

Something that has fascinated me about race in general is the origin of the races. If humanity is descended from a single human being 60,000 years ago (not disputing it), how did the striking racial differences occur? Why do asians look asian? Why is there any variance at all in skin color? Many other questions as well.

This is why I always had an interest in anthropology.
 
M

Mursilis

Diamond Member
Mar 11, 2001
7,756
11
81
Atreus21 said:
Something that has fascinated me about race in general is the origin of the races. If humanity is descended from a single human being 60,000 years ago (not disputing it), how did the striking racial differences occur? Why do asians look asian? Why is there any variance at all in skin color? Many other questions as well.
Click to expand...

That seems attributable to general genetic variation, which is not limited to humans, of course. Look at dogs - one species with incredible subspecies varience.
 
A

Anarchist420

Diamond Member
Feb 13, 2010
8,645
0
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www.facebook.com
Atreus21 said:
Something that has fascinated me about race in general is the origin of the races. If humanity is descended from a single human being 60,000 years ago (not disputing it), how did the striking racial differences occur? Why do asians look asian? Why is there any variance at all in skin color? Many other questions as well.

This is why I always had an interest in anthropology.
Click to expand...
That's also what I don't understand because no mutations have ever been recorded as changing testosterone levels. Subsaharan blacks have the highest testosterone levels and if everyone alive is descended from mtEve, then why do some people have significantly less testosterone than others?
 
Texashiker

Texashiker

Lifer
Dec 18, 2010
18,811
198
106
Craig234 said:
The findings:

- All of humanity is descended from one African man 60,000 years ago.

- The human race was only in Africa until about 40,000 years ago. 2000 generations.
Click to expand...

Wow, those are some messed up estimates.

http://news.nationalgeographic.com/...est-human-fossil-china-out-of-africa-science/

Oldest human remains outside africa have been found in china, and are estimated to be 60,000 years old.

If humans did not leave africa until 40,000 years ago, how do you explain the remains found in china.
 
C

Craig234

Lifer
May 1, 2006
38,548
350
126
Texashiker said:
Wow, those are some messed up estimates.

http://news.nationalgeographic.com/...est-human-fossil-china-out-of-africa-science/

Oldest human remains outside africa have been found in china, and are estimated to be 60,000 years old.

If humans did not leave africa until 40,000 years ago, how do you explain the remains found in china.
Click to expand...

Useful article, but they aren't estimated to be 60,000, rather 100,000 - and the info was not as clear as you say.

So far, genetic evidence largely supports the traditional timing of the "out of Africa" theory. But the newly described China jawbone presents a strong challenge, said anthropologist Christopher Bae of the University of Hawaii, who was not associated with the find.

"They actually have solid dates and evidence of, basically, a modern human," he said.

Still, the jaw and three molars were the only human remains retrieved from the Chinese cave, and the jaw is "within the range" of Neanderthal chins as well as those of modern humans, added paleoanthropologist John Hawks of the University of Wisconsin, Madison.
Click to expand...

So this is about a jaw and three teeth that 'are within the range of Neanderthal' also.

It'd be good to see any followup, as the article mentions checking for DNA.

But good article.
 
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