The virtues of promiscuity

The SF Chronicle ^ | August 20 2002 | Sally Lehrman

[nickcarraway]

Give me a break, promiscuity is not a genetic trait, it's an issue of character. Where were you, bvw, when Bill Clinton needed you? Susceptibility to sickle-cell anemia may be a genetic trait, but not promiscuity.

[nickcarraway]

>Interesting, all the societies he cites seem to stuck in the stone age.

I guess they are more ``paleo'' then you.

[nickcarraway]

So they are claiming that men who these women had random encounters with are likely to give the women aid in a time of need?

[bradactor]

I think this is a great new article and topic for Bill Clinton's new talk show that looks like will be happening in the fall. I really think this guy is egotistical enough to do one.

Brad

[rdb3]

...promiscuity is not a genetic trait, it's an issue of character.

There it is and there it wuz.

[Windsong]

"What has this to do with the stupid statement I was responding to?"

It has everything to do with it, considering that most of them ARE in fact, Socialists.

[tortoise]

I'm going to bed in minute, but I'll elucidate on your comments briefly. Pharma-biotechs and other companies have been doing lots of genetic analysis of many populations around the world for infectious disease research; I have friends actually involved in this. They basically look for hereditary immunities and resistance in people, using genetics as the starting point for pharmacological work.

In a nutshell, one thing that has become clear from the parallel analysis of their research populations from various points around the world is that ethnic Europeans have the best immune systems on the planet, with substantially more ethnicity specific resistances and immunities than any other population on the planet. And they find new ones every day. Everyone has them, and most populations have resistances specific to their populations. Europeans are special in that they have a veritable cornucopia of genetic mutations that give a percentage of the European population resistance or immunity to an unusually broad range of infectious pathogens unlike other populations, including many they historically were never exposed to. One of the most famous in recent years was the discovery that 1% of ethnic Europeans are immune to HIV-1, and another 10-20% are resistant to it, a genetic resistance that couldn't have come from exposure. No one is entirely sure why the ethnic European genome has so many beneficial immune system mutations compared to the world's other populations, but it definitely gives them superior protection from infectious disease on average.

[Cacique]

Oh goody, I am going to join one of these tribes and enjoy a life expectancy of less than thirty so anthropologists can come visit me and tell how my civilisation is superior to theirs.

This cultural equivalency crowd sickens me. Why don''t they go back and study cannibals? They can report back what it feels like to be eaten for lunch.

[2Trievers]

Great IDEA!

With a followup program on tribal tattoos ... &;-)

[Black Agnes]

So surly! :) I want to join the surly tribe! We can make our own surly traditions, I have several friends that would make excellent members!