[Marduk]

"Not necessarily true. Outbreeding tends to encourage outbreeding to the point that the Jewish self-identity is lost. Hypothetically a bunch of "diluted Jews" could claim 100% Jewishness, but I think the opposite would be true, that within a few generations they would claim no religion or a gentile religion."

A great deal of outbreeding isn't necessary. The Jews have been in diaspora for 2,000 years. If only %1 of the Jews in each generation engage in outbreeding and raise their kids as Jews, over a period of 2,000 years the Jewish population could end up with a high proprotion of Gentile genes. Over a long period of time a very small amount of outbreeding can produce the effect I describe. This can account for why Jews tend to resemble the people amongst which they live while at the same time still maintain some genetic distinctiveness.

[monkeyshine]

I am no expert on genetics, but the cohen "gene" and/or the Jewish "gene" seems to be just loose terminology. What is at issue are genetic markers -- these appear to me to be specific combinations of genes on a chromosome.

I am off to study the technical side of this a little more. The article about "cohen genes" talked about "genetic markers" not genes. And it also mentioned chromosomes. These are 3 different terms and I presume they are vastly different animals.