
What ancient DNA tells us about humans and Neanderthals - Vigier
https://www.theverge.com/2017/10/9/16448412/neanderthal-stone-age-human-genes-dna-schizophrenia-cholesterol-hair-skin-loneliness
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throwaway25070
In case you're wondering why so much research (and articles summarizing said
research) emphasize the negatives of Neanderthal DNA, consider the case of
Bruce Lahn, a Chinese-born American geneticist:

[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bruce_Lahn](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bruce_Lahn)

> His research on the microcephaly-associated gene, MCPH1, led to the
> hypothesis that an archaic Homo sapiens lineage such as the Neanderthals
> might have contributed to the recent development of the human brain.[2] His
> research also suggested that newly arisen variants of two brain size genes,
> ASPM and MCPH1, might have been favored by positive natural selection in the
> recent human history.[3] This research provoked controversy due to the
> finding that the positively selected variants of these genes had spread to
> higher frequencies in some parts of the world than in others (for ASPM, it
> is higher in Europe and surrounding regions than other parts of the world;
> for MCPH1, it is higher outside sub-Saharan Africa than inside).[4] He has
> advocated the moral position that human genetic diversity should be embraced
> and celebrated as among humanity's great assets.[5]

Since Sub-Saharan Africans have no Neanderthal DNA, researching the potential
cognitive or other benefits non-Sub-Saharan Africans enjoy from that 1-5% of
their genome would be racist. Because we all know race is just a social
construct, and human evolution--at least with respect to intelligence--stopped
sixty thousand years ago, or else it continued identically everywhere--unlike
the population-specific adaptations for lactose tolerance or rarefied air:

[https://www.sciencemag.org/news/2014/07/tibetans-
inherited-h...](https://www.sciencemag.org/news/2014/07/tibetans-inherited-
high-altitude-gene-ancient-human)

~~~
danieltillett
I love how even commenting on this topic requires the use of a throwaway
account.

I will be brave and post in my own name. Yes different populations of humans
around the world are genetically different, but we don’t know if any are
better or worse in any significant way. Tigers and lions are different
species, can interbreed (Liger), but we would not say one was a better or
worse - just different.

Of course on the flip side we don’t know that the different human populations
are not significantly different in some important feature. The bottom line is
we have no good data one way or the other on this topic.

