What makes us human? The unfortunate 'rat people' of Pakistan could provide the answer.

The Telegraph (UK) ^ | August 1, 2006 | by Armand Leroi

[justche]

Mike, was it you that was talking about appearance in politics today? What about Waxman - see post 3

Thanks ROTLC :)

[cynwoody]

From the article:

Disorders caused by recessive mutations are normally rather rare. But not in Lahore; nor in Leeds. That's because of the Pakistani way of marriage. Most of us marry people quite distantly related to ourselves and, as we travel ever further, our mates become ever more genetically remote.

In Pakistan, however, some 60 per cent of marriages are between first cousins; the frequency in Bradford and Leeds is thought to be comparable. The result is that clinical genetics units serving the British Pakistani community see a range and frequency of genetic disorders unknown elsewhere in the country.

I wonder what else about the region this explains...

[GATOR NAVY]

Amazing isn't it? Most cultures somehow figured this out hundreds of generations ago.

On an aside note, was this knowledge maybe imparted when humans started domesticating and breeding animals? Or is there something deeper in our unconsciousness (or genes) that tells us it's wrong?

[RobbyS]

Cousins marry cousins for another reason: women are so badly treated that they need the protection of a close male relative to the groom. Mamoud maybe won't beat his uncle's daughter: Uncle might beat on him.

[Constantine XIII]

Boo creepy eugenecists. Hooray BEER!

[Mike Bates]

Mike, was it you that was talking about appearance in politics today? What about Waxman - see post 3

Yeah, that was I. Actually, Mr. Waxman's lookin' pretty good. For a Democrat.

[Porterville]

[GOPJ]

In the last three million or so years, the human brain has approximately trebled in size. This change, remarkable in its extent and speed, must have been caused by mutations - advantageous mutations - that swept through the populations of our ancestors as they wandered, generation after generation, across the African veldt.That such mutations must exist has long been obvious. The problem has been how to find them.

No fossil record - all those generations and NO FOSSIL record. Zip, nada, zero follil evidence exist anywhere -- almost makes a person doubt Darwin...

[Alouette]

[WOSG]

"In Pakistan, however, some 60 per cent of marriages are between first cousins; the frequency in Bradford and Leeds is thought to be comparable. The result is that clinical genetics units serving the British Pakistani community see a range and frequency of genetic disorders unknown elsewhere in the country. ... "

Cause: Victims of excessive inbreeding.

[WOSG]

Huh? Plenty of homo erectus, other hominids and homo sapiens between 3 million years ago and now ...

http://www.berkeley.edu/news/media/releases/2002/03/20_daka.html

Anyway, its fascinating that a severe disorder is helping us trace genes for brain development.

might get us back to believing that IQ is genetic, eh?

[SunkenCiv]

Hobbits?

Just bring out the cold chicken and pickles. Oops, I mean, well put. :') I don't think I'll ping it, but let's add it to the catalog.

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[Lorianne]

Interesting article. Thanks for posting.

[Aliska]

Interesting article indeed. I can't cast off the notion that there may be a spiritual component to genetic defects, or has that old testament idea that genetic defects were a punishment for sin notion been jettisoned for good?

These things seem to start out as clusters and spread or there is always a first mutation, case or cause.

I certainly wouldn't argue the science of it, don't like the idea of using genetic testing that results in the choice of abortion, but a child is doomed to an awful life, much of which it would not comprehend in an impoverished country such as Pakistan, harder on loved ones dealing with it.

What tends to negate the notion that mutations are a punishment for sins is what happened at Chernobyl and environmental disasters causing defects, many in our country like Three Mile Island, Agent Orange, and so on. It makes no sense now.

It will be very interesting if they can regress the gene studies to a time before the phenomenon began. Some seem to have been with us for a very long time, but some seem rather new.

[steamroller]

hasidic jews often marry cousins and have you ever noticed that almost all their kids need eyeglasses at an early age?it could be that nearsightnedness is inherited in those cases as well as Tay-Sachs disease.-this can apply to any group that is isolated either by geography or cultural exclusivity when it comes to marriage-my son and daughter are jewish-honduran-puerto rican and my grandaughter adds black and american indian to the mix-guess what-no eyeglasses!

[aculeus]

Interesting article. Thanks for posting.

My pleasure.

Leroi wrote an interesting book on a related subject which was very popular in the UK but which went nowhere here.

[aculeus]

I meant to address #36 to you too.

[Junior]

Ping.

[PatrickHenry]

Darn good article. It takes a while to get to the meat, but still, quite good.

Pinging "The Few"

[js1138]

Rat people!