It's amazing to me how recent these developments are, e.g. that people in Europe looked completely different just 10000 years ago, or that just 40000 years ago a different humanoid species (Neanderthals) existed...
Ancient DNA Is Rewriting Human and Neanderthal History
41–50 of 79 posts
Re: Ancient DNA Is Rewriting Human and Neanderthal History
#42What an awesome antidote to today's depressing story about white nationalists coopting Black Panther as an affirmation of ethnicity-based political states. If science can keep reminding people how random and fragile current ethnic or national divisions are in the face of time, maybe more people will focus on building knowledge that lasts longer.
I'm interested in comparing your perspective with the people in favor of ethnicity-based political states. I imagine they want a future where their genes carry on while you are interested in "knowledge that lasts" You could say they are gene-centric and you are meme-centric? Of two futures, which would you prefer? 1. Where your descendants/relatives are alive but have little in common with your values (eg compare bro…
I advocate the same perspective towards both genes 'n memes: stop trying to preserve your current configuration verbatim, and start trying to participate in a process that iteratively adapts and improves. Some examples:
- Marry / procreate with an opposite you're attracted to. - End stasis-inducing IP monopolies. - Let other people contribute to your codebase when practical. - Focus on trying to benefit from immigration rather than eliminating it. - Don't let political units at any level get so powerful that you can never refactor your culture in a different way.
Regarding your contingencies, I put zero probability on my creations (kids, code, businesses) resembling me for long. I wouldn't wish them to as I doubt I'll be useful in their world. I'd like it if they could trace part of their prosperity to values or traits I imparted, but you have to find notions of continuity and contribution that aren't just a distance function from yourself.
Re: Ancient DNA Is Rewriting Human and Neanderthal History
#43What an awesome antidote to today's depressing story about white nationalists coopting Black Panther as an affirmation of ethnicity-based political states. If science can keep reminding people how random and fragile current ethnic or national divisions are in the face of time, maybe more people will focus on building knowledge that lasts longer.
The very point of white nationalism is precisely to worry about the randomness and fragility of the current ethnic and national divisions.
Yes, in that hypocritical "this is the strongest, most inevitable way for people to organize, so we have to build hyper-indoctrinated enclaves to protect it" way.
Re: Ancient DNA Is Rewriting Human and Neanderthal History
#44What an awesome antidote to today's depressing story about white nationalists coopting Black Panther as an affirmation of ethnicity-based political states. If science can keep reminding people how random and fragile current ethnic or national divisions are in the face of time, maybe more people will focus on building knowledge that lasts longer.
I'm interested in comparing your perspective with the people in favor of ethnicity-based political states. I imagine they want a future where their genes carry on while you are interested in "knowledge that lasts" You could say they are gene-centric and you are meme-centric? Of two futures, which would you prefer? 1. Where your descendants/relatives are alive but have little in common with your values (eg compare bro…
> Of two futures, which would you prefer?
> 1. Where your descendants/relatives are alive but have little in common with your values (eg compare bronze age to now)
> 2. You have no genetic descendants/relatives but whatever exists (robots, aliens, planet of the apes) shares your value system.
That's a false choice, based on these flawed assumptions:
- That genetic descent somehow diminishes the transmission of culture (or "memes" as you call it).
- That we don't have many bronze age values today. We do have them, evidenced by the fact that many people follow values of religions established in the bronze age.
- That the inevitable result of what you call a "meme-centric" direction of progress is genetic extinction for humans.
Re: Ancient DNA Is Rewriting Human and Neanderthal History
#45Earlier quoted context omitted.
We've gotten to a point where Europeans seem to be looking for anything to give them some minority culture status. Just take pride in who and what you are and where you came from.
It's pretty much frowned upon to be in any way proud to be a pale skinned European; mainstream media demands we feel shame for all the oppression we did in the centuries before our birth. That said, I don't understand how I've can be "proud" of which country you were born in, makes no sense to me.
>It's pretty much frowned upon to be in any way proud to be a pale skinned European; mainstream media demands we feel shame for all the oppression we did in the centuries before our birth.
It's Paddy's day on Saturday - how does that celebration square with your claim?
Re: Ancient DNA Is Rewriting Human and Neanderthal History
#46Earlier quoted context omitted.
Are you suggesting that by mating with similar 'ethnicity' that someones genes are more likely to carry on? I thought it was common knowledge that more diverse DNA has a better chance at survival. Seems like you're suggesting inbreeding is favorable for procreation.
According to this source, third-cousin pairings are the sweet spot https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/when-incest-is-be...
Thanks for sharing. That's fascinating, I would have never expected that.
Re: Ancient DNA Is Rewriting Human and Neanderthal History
#47Earlier quoted context omitted.
And of course, it's not the white guilt that's in fashion. It's the black pride that's in fashion, as it always has been.
What? I don't get any of either those assertions. People should be comfortable with who they are. I don't think pride is necessary, but also unnecessary and probably detrimental is to feel uncomfortable with yourself, be that anything, in this case ancestry.
How can you not understand black pride? The story of the Negro that survived the racist horrors of white oppression, the voice of the enslaved person that became La Marseillaise sung at the Haitian revolution, that became jazz, that became hip hop. The impossible resistance against the whitewashing and cultral genocide, the freedom and liberty earned by wielding the spirit of the Enlightenment channeled through the black experience. Black identity is more American than America. Freedom from taxation against the freedom to exist. There is no comparison. It's worthy of pride.
There's dignity in guilt, and it's essential for growth. You really don't seem to understand the human condition.
Re: Ancient DNA Is Rewriting Human and Neanderthal History
#48>Today, surprisingly, the people carrying the most Neanderthal DNA are not in Europe but in East Asia Interesting, I would love to see more information on this -- I had not heard this previously.
It makes fairly logical sense. Neanderthals were fairly well-installed in Europe when modern humans appeared in Africa. As modern humans would have expanded northward into Europe, done their thing with the Neanderthals, (some breeding, lots of killing), and continued eastward, so the human population still in Africa would probably have no Neanderthal DNA, but the population in Asia would carry the results of some int…
I don't think that explanation works. In your scenario, you wouldn't expect humans in Asia to have more Neanderthal DNA than humans in Europe.
Re: Ancient DNA Is Rewriting Human and Neanderthal History
#49Earlier quoted context omitted.
It's pretty much frowned upon to be in any way proud to be a pale skinned European; mainstream media demands we feel shame for all the oppression we did in the centuries before our birth. That said, I don't understand how I've can be "proud" of which country you were born in, makes no sense to me.
>It's pretty much frowned upon to be in any way proud to be a pale skinned European; mainstream media demands we feel shame for all the oppression we did in the centuries before our birth. It's Paddy's day on Saturday - how does that celebration square with your claim?
'European'? I don't think you can generalise on a continental scale. Irish people are generally pretty happy about their Irish-ness in my experience. Same with Basques and Greeks, and probably lots of other assorted Europeans
Re: Ancient DNA Is Rewriting Human and Neanderthal History
#50Earlier quoted context omitted.
It probably means he was hoping for a fun surprise, (Something like You're 10% Inca!), but didn't get one. I did the same thing - my Ancestry test came back with a whole lot of "Western Europe" - even more than I expected, actually.
Yep. I got a 23andme test. Told me nothing I didn't already know.
My friend's father did a DNA test and found out he was some portion Ashkenazi Jew. He went around screaming about it for a week, so proud that his genetic line birthed Albert Einstein.