Posted on 12/15/2005 10:05:07 PM PST by RWR8189
Scientists said yesterday that they have discovered a tiny genetic mutation that largely explains the first appearance of white skin in humans tens of thousands of years ago, a finding that helps solve one of biology's most enduring mysteries and illuminates one of humanity's greatest sources of strife.
The work suggests that the skin-whitening mutation occurred by chance in a single individual after the first human exodus from Africa, when all people were brown-skinned. That person's offspring apparently thrived as humans moved northward into what is now Europe, helping to give rise to the lightest of the world's races.
Leaders of the study, at Penn State University, warned against interpreting the finding as a discovery of "the race gene." Race is a vaguely defined biological, social and political concept, they noted, and skin color is only part of what race is -- and is not.
In fact, several scientists said, the new work shows just how small a biological difference is reflected by skin color. The newly found mutation involves a change of just one letter of DNA code out of the 3.1 billion letters in the human genome -- the complete instructions for making a human being.
"It's a major finding in a very sensitive area," said Stephen Oppenheimer, an expert in anthropological genetics at Oxford University, who was not involved in the work. "Almost all the differences used to differentiate populations from around the world really are skin deep."
(Excerpt) Read more at washingtonpost.com ...
Michael Jackson just signed up as a test subject.
It's just shocking that the same gene that controls skin color also controls jumping ability.
(Sorry - I couldn't help myself).
White skin is one of "humanity's greatest sources of strife," huh?
What racist garbage.
As a blonde, blue-eyed, light-skinned girl, I always wondered what the hell I was selected for for living on this planet.
And swimming ability.
You might find this interesting.
How about them apples??
A major media outlet has just announced that white skin is the problem.
That was my reaction too. The WASHPOST is letting their bias show again. Somebody get this to Rush and the other talk show hosts out there.
Biochmical synthesis of melanin has been studied to death. That they found some gene and put it in an evolutionary context is only slightly interesting... not much of a rock concert, really.
Sounds like evolution to me. Does this mean that white people are more evolved than all the other races, or are we all just mutants?
There is only one problem with these donkeys theory. White skin genes aren't dominant.
That simply is NOT how genetics worked. If skin tone were one gene, everyone would be pitch black or Swesdish white, and would be dominant or recessive. The fact that there are so many ranges of skin color means that it has to be a product of many genes.
Aesthetically pleasing?
Sow how do they explain Eminem?
>> There is only one problem with these donkeys theory. White skin genes aren't dominant <<
Actually, most spot mutations are recessive. The problem is that skin color is not recessive or dominant
I agree; BS garbage.
I thought races were "merely a social construct" to be explained away.
And for that matter, they are implying that white skin confers survival advantage in some contexts.
Does this make the WaPo of the belief that whites are genetically superior?
Or was this merely meant to be published in Sen. Robert Byrd's (KKK -- WV) home town?
Can anybody imagine what would have happened if they would have said another shade was the greatest source of human strife?
Yee-uh. Pics, please? : P
Well, one problem with your problem is that recessive genes don't vanish, and in some cases no doubt thrive.
Assuming that a recessive gene appeared in one person, then the offspring of that person would have the recessive gene even if they did not express it. Some number of their offspring would also have the recessive gene, and sooner or later you will get individuals that express the recessive trait. If natural selection (including sexual selection) then favors those individuals then the gene will eventually predominate in the population.
Having 5 fingers is a recessive gene, the dominant is a smaller sixth between the ring and pinky fingers.
Lordy! The stuff of nightmares!
OK you Space Aliens! What the H*ll did you do with Michael Jackson??? Nice try, your Alien Abduction almost worked. But we are *not* fooled by your clone. We want the *real* Michael Jackson back NOW!
Or else...
I caught that too. I always wondered why us white folks can't dance, now I know....because we are a genetic mutation.
LOL
They don't vanish, but they may not appear again in a thousand years, or ten thousand years, if ever.
Well, it's safe to say this one reappeared with a vengeance. LOL
Damn. I'm a mutant.
Hmmm..., won't touch this line....
For some reason I don't believe this sentence for a second...
I wouldn't say it's safe to say. What if the mutant was sterile?
"Liberals" came out of the segregated South and the KKK. That is the fact of their history. Don't be suprised that they found power in hating a different race and reorganizing society to attack that race. They are just plain debasers and haters. They hate Christian white people the most.
Nah, I think the article is saying that racial differences are the "source of strife", not white skin per se. Until this mutation, the article says, everyone was black.
I don't think anyone else has yet mentioned another aspect of this discovery. Knowing where to look in the genome for these kinds of markers (skin color, eye color etc) could result in police being able to get a rough idea of who a perpetrator was from a DNA sample.
<-----honkey
To rule it...
What garbage. Perhaps the mutation was turning from white to black, ever think of that Mr. Scientist? I guess blue eyes, blonde hair, bone structure, brain size are all part of this mutation as well.
So next we are going to have white skin be the "mark of cain"
This is lock step with the UN efforts to define racist as being "white skinned".
What happens if people start to twist it the other way and say the skin mutation lead to civilization. (al that ancient SNL skit with Garrit Morrist and some black history expert.)
Gosh these people make me laugh.
Tabari II:11 “Shem, the son of Noah was the father of the Arabs, the Persians, and the Greeks; Ham was the father of the Black Africans; and Japheth was the father of the Turks and of Gog and Magog who were cousins of the Turks. Noah prayed that the prophets and apostles would be descended from Shem and kings would be from Japheth. He prayed that the African’s color would change so that their descendants would be slaves to the Arabs and Turks.”
There you have it. Ham was the genetic link and "adam" if you will, of all black people. Allah is all wise and knowing. Let's double check, after all, several proofs remove all doubt in Islamic scripture.
Tabari II:21 “Ham [Africans] begat all those who are black and curly-haired, while Japheth [Turks] begat all those who are full-faced with small eyes, and Shem [Arabs] begat everyone who is handsome of face with beautiful hair. Noah prayed that the hair of Ham’s descendants would not grow beyond their ears, and that whenever his descendants met Shem’s, the latter would enslave them.”
There you have it, the 'fro" is entrenched forever in Islamic scripture, and ironically it's all Noah's falt that African women are cursed with nappy hair and have to constantly spend large amounts of money to chemically straighten it and iron it. Plus, African's will forever be slaves to Arabs.
Allah is all wise and knowing.
Bukhari:V4B52N137 “The Prophet said, ‘Let the negro slave of Dinar perish. And if he is pierced with a thorn, let him not find anyone to take it out for him.... If he [the black slave] asks for anything it shall not be granted, and if he needs intercession [to get into paradise], his intercession will be denied.’”
This last one is why Blacks shold never convert to Islam. Don't be fooled. You will NEVER go to Muhammad's brothel and get 72 virgins, pearly boys, not even a goat. They are tricking you. Allah is unforgiving.
"The work suggests that the skin-whitening mutation occurred by chance in a single individual after the first human exodus from Africa, when all people were brown-skinned. That person's offspring apparently thrived as humans moved northward into what is now Europe, helping to give rise to the lightest of the world's races."
I thought white people were actually spawned by an evil geneticist named Jacub as a result of combining recessive genes for several centuries. So says the Honorable Elijah Muhammad (PBUH).
aw, nutz, you beat me to it!!!
Though actually that "White men can't jump" thing seems somewhat right if you compare Caucasians (Europeans, Semitics (Arabs, Jews), Persians, Indians, Russians) -- athletic abilities are, on average, of a slightly lower par than Negroids.
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