Posted on 04/12/2006 3:07:14 AM PDT by Pharmboy
Alan Moldawer's adopted twins, Matt and Andrew, had always thought of themselves as white. But when it came time for them to apply to college last year, Mr. Moldawer thought it might be worth investigating the origins of their slightly tan-tinted skin, with a new DNA kit that he had heard could determine an individual's genetic ancestry.
The results, designating the boys 9 percent Native American and 11 percent northern African, arrived too late for the admissions process. But Mr. Moldawer, a business executive in Silver Spring, Md., says they could be useful in obtaining financial aid.
"Naturally when you're applying to college you're looking at how your genetic status might help you," said Mr. Moldawer, who knows that the twins' birth parents are white, but has little information about their extended family. "I have three kids going now, and you can bet that any advantage we can take we will."
Genetic tests, once obscure tools for scientists, have begun to influence everyday lives in many ways. The tests are reshaping people's sense of themselves — where they came from, why they behave as they do, what disease might be coming.
It may be only natural then that ethnic ancestry tests, one of the first commercial products to emerge from the genetic revolution, are spurring a thorough exploration of the question, What's in it for me?
Many scientists criticize the ethnic ancestry tests as promising more than they can deliver. The legacy of an ancestor several generations back may be too diluted to show up. And the tests have a margin of error, so results showing a small amount of ancestry from one continent may not actually mean someone has any.
Given the tests' speculative nature, it seems unlikely that colleges, governments and other institutions will embrace them.
(Excerpt) Read more at nytimes.com ...
Show me the money/DNA/Tonto Kowalski ping list...
What about giving preference to someone who just pretends he is a native american so he can get a professorship? At least with the DNA testing there is some objectivity involved. I sort of like the idea of parents playing the game by the rules the affirmative actionistas set up.
I'm native American. I was born here.
Oprah found out that she wasn't Zulu ! (SOB !)
The host's , (Henry Louis Gates, Jr.) story was rather interesting.
Yes--I read his op-ed piece on this in the NY Times (free--online, that is).
I was referring to Ward Churchill. I personally think affirmative action is wrong and would love to see it eliminated; however, if they are going to make the rules, I like to see people game the system because it shows how ridiculous AA is.
The purpose of the adoptive father is equally revolting.
None of us can know what might really have gone on out behind the barn 200 years ago.
So9
Indeed...that's the way it's been for a while. In the near future, they just might turn to genotyping rather than eyeballing the person for the determination.
Adolph Eichmann could have really used something like this...
...or it might have done Eichmann and a few of his SS buddies in.
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I would LOVE to do something like this. Mine would probably look like a checkerboard.
When they get the price down, I will think about it.
a small amount of ancestry from one continent may not actually mean someone has any.In addition, random genetic remains from the colonial period are bound to color (so to speak) the reference samples. What is 9 per cent of 23 chromosome pairs anyway? ;') Thanks for the ping.
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