You're Not What You Eat

Recently, a professor at Penn State conducted a little study in which about 90 students "took complex genetic screening tests that compared their samples with those of four regional groups." The results? Let's just say good old David Duke might be a bit disappointed: none of us are exactly AKC material. NYTimes (07.30.05), via DailyKos:

"Many of these students thought of themselves as '100 percent' white or black or something else, but only a tiny fraction of them, as it turned out, actually fell into that category. Most learned instead that they shared genetic markers with people of different skin colors. Ostensibly 'black' subjects, for example, found that as much as half of their genetic material came from Europe, with some coming from Asia as well. One 'white' student learned that 14 percent of his DNA came from Africa - and 6 percent from East Asia." Debunking the Concept of 'Race'

According to the school newspaper, the kid was quite surprised: "'When I got my results I was like, there's no way they were mine. I thought it was just an example of what the test was supposed to look like. Then I was like, Oh my God, that's me.'" Extremely intriguing as it is, it isn't exactly new news. From last April, the Christian Science Monitor (04.28.05):

"Last fall, Samuel Richards, who teaches a race-relations course at Penn State University, arranged for 100 of his students to take the DNA test. About 20 percent were 'very surprised' to find out they had a mixed heritage, he says, and about 20 percent more were somewhat surprised." Mixed roots: Science looks at family trees

"Next year, Professor Richards plans to offer the DNA test to 1,000 of his students." Ahhh, David Duke. Piece o'work, that one is. Once upon a time, our boy Duke ran against Edwin Edwards for the governorship of Louisiana. Sounds like quite an interesting contest. "Edwards was largely perceived as corrupt, but the possibility of electing Duke as governor was widely seen as far worse. A popular bumpersticker read 'Vote for the Crook. It's Important'." "Ads and documentaries aired on television showing footage of Duke from earlier years at Klan rallies and acting as a neo-Nazi spokesman. When a reporter asked Edwards what he needed to do to triumph over Duke, Edwards replied with a smile, 'Stay alive'." David "BellCurve" Duke Proud member of the cognitive elite.