Mark Stoneking is a population geneticist at the Max Planck anthropology powerhouse. He uses genetics to study the origin, relationships, structure and migration patterns of human populations. He’s written up a review of the origins of humans in the journal EMBO Reports under the title, “Human origins. The molecular perspective.” I’ve tried to get access to it, but my library doesn’t have a subscription and I’m not really willing to dish out $18 to buy the 4 page paper. I rather buy a book with that sort of cash.
But Dienekes seems to have read it and he’s found the illustration of the different models of human evolution interesting. I’ve decided to share the image with you. Dienekes also discusses Stoneking’s understanding of Carleton Coon, the physical anthropologist who wrote “The Origin of Races” in 1962, which was thwarted by the big boys of the time, Sherwood Washburn and Ashley Montagu and further discredited with Lewontin‘s 1972 conclusion that there’s more differences within groups than between.
We’ve come a long way since then. With DNA chips able to detect many SNPs and with the lower costs of genetic screening, we can assess the genetic diversity of more people. Datasets are growing and patterns are emerging. We’re now able to isolate distinguishable genetic differences in places like Europe. In the past, I’ve argued that with these higher resolution and more ubiqutious technologies available, we shouldn’t be falling back on Lewontin’s Fallacy anymore. Saying a biological component to race doesn’t exist just doesn’t cut it anymore.