[ExI] Genetics doesn't explain why people are poor

[spike at rainier66.com]

-----Original Message-----
> On Behalf Of BillK via extropy-chat




Subject: [ExI] Genetics doesn't explain why people are poor

 

A Study Tried to Use Genetics to Explain Why People Are Poor Scientists wanted to explain health disparities and ended up with a right-wing talking point.

 

by Dan Samorodnitsky  Jan 24 2020

 

< <https://www.vice.com/en_us/article/jgepv8/a-study-tried-to-use-genetics-to-explain-why-people-are-poor> https://www.vice.com/en_us/article/jgepv8/a-study-tried-to-use-genetics-to-explain-why-people-are-poor>

 

Quotes:

Genetics’ allure can draw people away from more obvious explanations for problems. Here’s a hypothetical. Imagine a poor neighborhood on the side of a highway. If you notice that people living in poor neighborhoods next to highways get asthma more often than rich people across town, you could study their genomes and find some genes common in poor asthmatics. ...

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It's the old nature versus nurture argument. How much of each????

 

BillK

 

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BillK the example given could be explained two different ways.

 

In our modern fortunate times, it isn't so much car exhaust (which is clean, certainly relative to the old days) but rather Diesel exhaust which contains carbon particulates.  Clearly asthma and lung irritation can be caused by particulates, and asthma is known to be genetically related.  No mystery there, both are factors.

 

Now change the venue of the experiment to Interstate 680 in San Jose California, which is an ideal laboratory, because the freeway carries many Diesel-belching trucks, day and night, and it also comes down thru a crowded metropolis where the genetic makeup and economic status is about the same on both sides of the freeway.  However... being close to the sea, the prevailing breeze is from the west.  It blows the particulates east most of the time.  I intentionally bought a home west of the freeway for that reason.  So... compare the east side to the west side, and you have your answer.

 

The experiment you posted was about how people explained the condition of the poor neighborhood, but all I can tell from it is that political notions are genetic.  That sounds plausible, but they are also certainly memetic, heavily influenced by the family in which we are born.  So with that, we still don't get to the answers on the nurture vs nature question.

 

I would like to see a study on asthma west side vs east side of the freeway in San Jose.  That could help drive laws to require additional exhaust filtering on Diesel trucks if it turns out the way I think it will.  Carbon particulates irritate the lungs in all humans.

 

This is very exciting however:

 

https://www.nature.com/articles/s41467-019-13585-5

 

Nature Communications

…

Published: 16 December 2019

Genome-wide analysis identifies molecular systems and 149 genetic loci associated with income

…

 

We have CRISPR technology, ja?  So we just poke the right stuff in those 149 loci associated with income and everybody gets rich as a king!  We could have a prosperous well-fed world, filled with kings.

 

Better yet: find a group of traditionally disadvantaged volunteers, poke the right stuff in those 149 genetic locations, their genetically-modified children grow up in the traditionally disadvantaged culture, see if they get rich.  What a cool experiment!

 

spike

 

 

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