Mystery of Ascia

Lee Berman · 24 Jan 2011, 04:02 · from 2011-January.txt.gz

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From: severiansola at hotmail.com (Lee Berman)
Date: Sun, 23 Jan 2011 23:02:11 -0500
Subject: (urth) Mystery of Ascia
Message-ID: <SNT123-W266CCE11C4B4112BC490B0CFFD0 at phx.gbl>

Gerry, I later realized I can answer two of my questions to you myself. When
you mention "those who believe in race" you are referring to sort of a polarizing
notion in anthropology on whether there is any scienfific basis to the idea of race.

Some argue that all the "obvious" demarcations of race have to do with visual appearance
and little to do with genetic analysis so "race" is an artifact of biased perceptions
and exaggerations of the importance of physical appearance, which has little scientific
value. 

Others argue there are a few genetic markers that sort of separate the races but the
obvious evidence is...well, LOOK at us! We are different. Anyone can see it.

My opinion is pretty much the same as for all controversial issues. There is validity
to both arguments. Homo sapiens may be not be a "ring species" but our species could be
described as "star-shaped". The arguments back and forth are simply whether more of our
essence is to be found in the points of the star or the middle of it. Not an important
argument for me. A star has both a middle and points.

The other was your assertion of "no natural country (or planetary) types". I remember now
someone brought up epicanthic folds as a cold weather adaptation. With the argument that
any cold weather region would select for these folds.

Maybe you are noting that "asian eyes" are found in tropical Asian areas and this is your
inspiration for "Dollo's Law", feeling that epicanthic folds have become "locked in" to 
Asian populations. (they haven't, of course. Any illusion of this is caused by thinking
that what exists now will exist forever.)

Light skin is a different cold weather (low light actually) adaptation found in Europe more than
Asian populations. And we know that European immigrants to the tropics tend to retain that light
skin in their offspring. Same thing for big noses. Europe more than Asia. Again, nothing is locked
in. Plenty of individuals in Europe with light skin, blue eyes and epicanthic folds. Likewise many 
asians have round eyes, big noses and skin in various shades.

My advice on this issue is to not place too much stock in the genetic cross-section of 
humanity that we see now. True understanding of population genetics requires many generations
of study. To think we really understand the nature of the human species by what we can find now would 
be as silly as taking a video of Gerry Quinn's day from rising in the morning to sleeping at night,
then taking one still shot from that 17 hour video and saying, "This is Gerry's day! All we need to 
know". 

The human gene pool is in motion, over many thousands of years. The star keeps changing shape.  The 
reality of it, the essence, is not what exists at any given moment but the totality of it, from origin 
to extinction.

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