> Date: Tue, 01 May 2001 11:04:33 -0700 > From: Richard McCann <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> > Subject: RE: t-and-f: Follow the money? > > > I've stated earlier that I think that genetics probably has an influence > that creates a greater propensity for African success, but it is NOT due to > a difference in the AVERAGE makeup in the population. It is due to a wider > DISPERSION of genetic characteristics in the African population which means > that there is a greater probability of an individual having outlier > characteristics necessary for elite performances. Recent studies comparing > genetic material from around the world confirms that Africans show much > greater variety than the rest of the world combined. Richard, what you write here is just not accurate and your thesis has no scientific validity. There is no such concept as "genetic characteristics." There are phenotypic characteristics, which may or may not have a genetic component. Africans in general have the longest genetic history (the Continent appears to be the home of modern humanity), which is the result of more time to accumulate genetic mutations. However, genetic diversity DOES NOT TRANSLATE INTO PHENOTYPIC DIVERSITY. If it did, then we would find some great gorilla marathoners, since simians are a lot more genetically diverse than modern man. Having more genetic diversity means ONE thing -- it's a marker of "time of evolution." As it stands, Africans are not more diverse from a phenotypic perspective than other populations and in some key ways they are LESS diverse. That is because, curiously, pockets of African populations are quite insular. In fact, West Africa was historically one of the most insular populations, eventually cut off from the north by the Sahara desert which formed a few thousand years BC (after being a relatively fertile savannah), the mountains of the East and the ocean to the West. West Africa is the most distinct and homogeneous mega-populations on earth as every geneticist will tell you. Just check for instance the charts on genetic diversity in Cavalli-Sforza's "The History and Geography of Genes." But this is genetics 101. So in fact, the truth is just the opposite: the distinctive body type and physiology of the largest African population is a result of its insularity and homogeneity, not its dispersion. This is also discussed, with bibliographic footnotes, in "Taboo." > > Nevertheless, you have to MOTIVATE those individuals to compete. Given the > relative income differences, African athletes have a much greater > motivation to compete in track and field than Americans who have not only > athletic endeavors but run of the mill jobs that earn more with greater > stability of income. > > > Richard McCann > > ------------------------------ -- Jon Entine RuffRun 6178 Grey Rock Rd. Agoura Hills, CA 91301 (818) 991-9803 [FAX] 991-9804 http://www.jonentine.com
