Path: utzoo!censor!geac!jtsv16!uunet!dino!uxc.cso.uiuc.edu!garcon!uxf.cso.uiuc.edu!mike From: mike@uxf.cso.uiuc.edu (Mike Trogni) Newsgroups: sci.bio Subject: Re: Hybrid vigor Summary: casual genetics & human study don't mix Message-ID: <1728@garcon.cso.uiuc.edu> Date: 9 Aug 89 19:33:37 GMT References: <4869@drivax.UUCP> <3411@internal.Apple.COM> Reply-To: mike@uxf.cso.uiuc.edu (Mike Trogni) Distribution: usa Organization: University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign Lines: 21 A previous poster was correct in reminding us that every human being that has ever been born has African roots (as scientific study of human ancestry suggests). Most evolutionary textbooks today use the term "race" *very* loosely in regard to the human species. Most scientists would rather say that there is one race, the human race. Always be very careful when reading studies involving classification of human beings. _The Mismeasure of Man_ by Stephen Jay Gould of Harvard U. is recommended to everyone - from the layman to the graduate student in biology. Racist claims in human genetics usually evolve from hidden agendas or unintended experimental bias. I would say that the relative preponderance of people of African ancestry in certain atheletic endeavors *can not* be ascribed to one reason, but to a variety of inherited *and* environmental factors. Hybrid vigor is something I would use to describe the strength of a plant species, not something I would use to talk about the success of another human being. -mike [mike@uxf.cso.uiuc.edu]